ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have been prosecuted for cruelty to animals in  (a) England and  (b) Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 4 December 2006
	The following table shows the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to animal cruelty and neglect in England and Wales, 1996 to 2005(1).
	(1) These data, provided by, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, are on the principal offence basis.
	
		
			   England  Wales  Total 
			 1996 1,010 146 1,156 
			 1997 1,127 151 1,278 
			 1998 1,168 150 1,318 
			 1999 1,081 134 1,215 
			 2000 1,110 122 1,232 
			 2001 1,026 72 1,098 
			 2002 1,022 98 1,120 
			 2003 1,005 81 1,086 
			 2004 1,013 81 1,094 
			 2005 1,104 93 1,197 
			  Notes: 1. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 2. Staffordshire police force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures, as they are considered sufficiently robust at this high level of analysis. 3. Over this period the majority of prosecutions were for cruelty to animals under the Protection of Animals Act 1911.

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for a new animal welfare label.

Ben Bradshaw: The draft Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy proposes that improving the clarity and consistency of information on welfare provenance provided to consumers could be a positive step. We are seeking views on this and other proposals in the draft strategy as part of the current public consultation. Detailed actions and commitments will be developed and agreed with interested parties as part of an Action Plan, to be published separately.

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors underlay his Department's decision to recommend a move away from a legislative approach towards an approach based on the delivery of outcomes through other means in the consultation on the Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy.

Ben Bradshaw: As the draft Animal Welfare Delivery Strategy recognises, there is a significant body of European and domestic welfare legislation in place, and the available evidence suggests that this has been successful at improving measurable standards of welfare in the UK. However, the evidence also points to areas where welfare problems continue. The draft strategy proposes a new approach to delivery in order to make progress in these areas. It will continue to be the Government's role to enforce appropriate baseline standards of welfare through regulation.

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to support the European Commission's proposal to extend the length of time for the ban on the import of captive live birds.

Ben Bradshaw: As the Prime Minister wrote in his letter to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds on 5 December, the UK intends to press other member states and the European Commission to extend indefinitely the ban on the commercial import of wild birds, with exceptions for recognised international conservation programmes. This would protect both human and animal health, while benefiting the welfare of wild birds.

Animal Welfare

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria he took into account in setting the minimum cage measurements for the transportation of animals; and whether the measurements comply with International Air Transport Association guidelines.

Ben Bradshaw: Minimum space allowances for the transport of farmed livestock, horses and poultry are set for road, sea and air transport in Council Directive 91/628/EEC on the protection of animals during transport. These, along with other requirements of the directive, are implemented in Great Britain by the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997. The same space allowances are contained in the superseding European Union (EU) Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport which apply from 5 January 2007. Recommendations from the EU scientific committees (now the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare) were used as the basis for the space allowances. Detailed space allowances are not prescribed for non-farmed species so only general provisions apply. These require sufficient floor area and height appropriate to the animal size and the intended journey.
	Both the directive and the new regulation require that for air transport animals are transported in pens or stalls appropriate for the species and which comply with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Live Animal Regulations (LARs).

Animal Welfare

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what liaison there was between different divisions in his Department in drawing up the  (a) animal health and welfare strategy and  (b) first indicators on animal welfare.

Ben Bradshaw: I assume that by "first indicatorson animal welfare" the hon. Member means those proposed in the evidence base that accompanied the publication of the animal health and welfare strategyin 2004.
	All the divisions with an interest in animal health and welfare were involved in the development of the strategy, the evidence base and the indicators.

Biodiversity

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local area agreements have been developed which incorporate the protection or enhancement of biodiversity; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: To date, both the first and the second rounds of local area agreements (LAAs)have been signed off. DEFRA's analysis of thesecond round of LAAs has found that 16 out of the66 authorities negotiating in this round incorporated an outcome focussing on the protection and enhancement of biodiversity.
	We do not currently have any information on the number of authorities that included biodiversity outcomes in the first round of LAAs. For the current third round, my officials have told me that a number of authorities are currently in the process of developing outcomes focused on the protection and enhancement of biodiversity. We will wait to see how these progress.

Biofuels

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on biodiversity in the tropics of the use of palm oil in biofuel production.

Ian Pearson: The Government have not made an assessment of the effect of palm oil production for biofuel on biodiversity, but work has been carried out on the effects of palm oil production on the local environment. One of the Government's key objectives in this sector is to ensure that biofuel production and development is environmentally sustainable. That is why the Government are developing an environmental assurance scheme as an integral part of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). This will require all obligated companies to report on the greenhouse gas balance and wider environmental impacts of their biofuels. The reports will include details of the previous use of the land on which the biofuel feedstocks were grown, and the impacts on biodiversity of growing those feedstocks. This will encourage companies to supply biofuels which deliver the maximum greenhouse gas savings with the minimum environmental impact. It will also ensure that we can monitor the impact of both imported and domestically-sourced biofuels.

Climate Change

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the average annual rainfall was in  (a) Ely and  (b) Cambridgeshire in each of the last 20 years;
	(2)  what the annual average temperature was of (a) Ely and  (b) Cambridgeshire in each of the last20 years;
	(3)  what the average annual hours of sunshine were in  (a) Ely and  (b) Cambridgeshire in each of the last 20 years.

Ian Pearson: The following table shows the rainfall, mean temperature and hours of sunshine in Cambridgeshire for each year from 1986 to 2005. These data are area averages provided by the Met Office.
	
		
			   Rainfall (mm)  Mean temperature (( 0) C)  Sunshine (hours) 
			 1986 596.8 9.03 1548.3 
			 1987 636.6 9.26 1283.8 
			 1988 580.7 9.94 1437.7 
			 1989 515.2 10.79 1763.9 
			 1990 408.0 10.99 1728.3 
			 1991 433.0 9.76 1421.8 
			 1992 671.0 10.19 1435.7 
			 1993 682.3 9.82 1428.7 
			 1994 561.8 10.61 1584.4 
			 1995 507.6 10.65 1749.9 
			 1996 411.6 9.28 1566.4 
			 1997 514.4 10.75 1590.5 
			 1998 674.8 10.58 1372.9 
			 1999 618.0 10.95 1633.3 
			 2000 726.8 10.64 1463.9 
			 2001 705.4 10.25 1551.3 
			 2002 637.8 10.95 1438.6 
			 2003 484.5 10.87 1794.4 
			 2004 628.8 10.89 1466.9 
			 2005 482.5 10.77 1495.0 
		
	
	The following table shows the rainfall in Ely, and mean temperature and hours of sunshine in Denver, for each year from 1986 to 2005. These data are from individual Met Office monitoring stations. Denver is about 21 km from Ely. It is the closest station to Ely for which 20 years of temperature and sunshine data are available.
	
		
			   Station: 
			   Ely, Hervey Close  Denver 
			   Rainfall (mm)  Mean temperature (( 0) C)  Sunshine (hours) 
			 1986 628.6 8.88 1596.4 
			 1987 624.7 9.17 1345.3 
			 1988 614.2 9.59 1477.3 
			 1989 508.5 10.57 1763.4 
			 1990 396.0 10.74 1737.0 
			 1991 399.2 9.63 1430.8 
			 1992 654.8 10.18 1453.1 
			 1993 700.7 9.73 1411.4 
			 1994 546.9 10.57 1549.6 
			 1995 519.1 10.59 1716.8 
			 1996 426.5 9.31 1628.8 
			 1997 552.3 10.77 1610.6 
			 1998 689.9 10.50 1356.6 
			 1999 655.5 10.90 1672.7 
			 2000 689.2 10.67 1521.4 
			 2001 726.3 9.89 1554.6 
			 2002 671.9 10.98 1423.8 
			 2003 504.1 10.90 1788.7 
			 2004 644.9 10.87 1459.0 
			 2005 497.3 10.76 1446.9

Correspondence

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to reply to the letter dated 8 November 2006 on Backdale and Wagers Flat from the hon. Member for West Derbyshire.

Barry Gardiner: I apologise for the delay. A reply was sent on 6 December 2006.

Emissions Trading Scheme

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what net reduction in carbon dioxide emissions he expects to result from the entry of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Ian Pearson: Since the Commission has yet to publish the draft legislative proposal for including aviation in the EU ETS, and therefore emission allowances have not yet been determined, the expected net reduction of CO2 emissions resulting from the inclusion of aviation in the scheme cannot be specified.
	Emissions trading offers the best solution to tackle emissions from this sector as it will ensure that the environmental outcome of reducing emissions is achieved in the most cost-effective manner possible.

Energy Efficiency

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if he will assess the merits of subsidising the cost of energy saving light bulbs for low-income households; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what progress has been made towards the target of ensuring that every home switches at least three bulbs to energy saving bulbs; and what steps the Government plan to take to ensure that people on low incomes are able to make this switch.

Ian Pearson: Energy efficient light bulbs are already cost-effective purchases for most consumers. However, the Government recognise the need to accelerate market take-up and has a range of policies which aim to achieve this. There is, however, no target to ensure that every home switches at least three bulbs to energy saving bulbs.
	Under the Energy Efficiency Commitment, electricity and gas suppliers are required to meet targets for the promotion of improvements in domestic energy efficiency. They do this by encouraging and assisting household consumers to take up energy efficient measures, including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) which are often offered to consumers at subsidised prices. We announced last year the results of the first three-year phase of the commitment which saw around 10 million British households, six million of which were on low incomes, benefit from energy saving measures delivered by the energy suppliers. These included about 40 million CFLs, 60 per cent. of which were distributed to a priority group of low-income consumers, mostly for free. CFLs continue to be promoted under the current phase of the Energy Efficiency Commitment.
	Low energy light bulbs are one of the measures that can be installed under the Government's Warm Front scheme, which is our main programme for tackling fuel poverty in England. Further information on this scheme is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energy/hees/03.htm

Energy Efficiency

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether steps are being taken to restrict the sale of non-energy efficient incandescent light bulbs in the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to introduce more rigorous standards for reducing energy waste from light bulbs; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government remain fully committed to raising product standards and encouraging consumers to use the most efficient products available. In the Energy Review, the Government made clear their intention to work with other Governments, manufacturers and retailers, to seek to phase out the least efficient light bulbs.
	DEFRA's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) supports measures such as the mandatory EU energy labelling scheme which, for domestic light bulbs, has been mandatory since 1 January 2001. Minimum energy performance standards have resulted in the removal of the most inefficient fluorescent lamp ballasts from the market. (Lamp ballasts are required to control the current passing through fluorescent discharge tubes, which dissipate energy and can affect the light output efficiency of the fluorescent tube itself).
	For further information I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Dundee, West (Mr. McGovern) on 31 October 2006,  Official Report, column 272W.

Energy Efficiency

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to ensure that all Government buildings and departments replace standard light bulbs with energy saving light bulbs; and whether an estimate has been made of potential savings from such a policy.

Ian Pearson: Departments have adopted targets to reduce energy use across the central Government estate of buildings, with the aim of making Government offices carbon neutral by 2012, and to reduce the Government's total emissions from buildings by 30 per cent. by 2020.
	To help achieve these targets, Departments are committed to buying energy efficient equipment, including lighting, for its buildings. Current procurement standards for replacement light bulbs require A-rated performance, which corresponds with compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) technologies. New lighting systems must comply with the same energy efficiency design criteria as are required for enhanced capital allowances available to businesses investing in approved energy saving technologies.
	These measures are designed to ensure lighting systems and all standard light bulbs are replaced by the most efficient alternatives. Our estimate is that this has the potential for lighting savings of over 160 GWh per year once all lighting has been improved, equivalent to over 16,000 tonnes of CO2. Most of the savings will come through using more efficient fluorescent lamps and ballasts, and installing lighting controls.

Forest Biomass

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department classifies single stem forest biomass as an energy crop; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Single stem forest trees planted after31 December 1989, and grown primarily for the purpose of being used as fuel, would qualify under the definition of energy crops given in the renewables obligation.

Northumbria Water

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will investigate the impact on churches in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle of Northumbria Water's proposals to change the charging method for surface water draining.

Ian Pearson: Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales, is responsible for approving companies' charges schemes.
	Sewerage service charges are increasing for some Northumbrian Water non-household customers, and reducing for others, due to the transfer from a rateable value-based charging method to a site-area-based charging method for the surface water drainage (SWD) element of the sewerage charge.
	In 2003 Ofwat carried out a review of SWD charges and published its conclusions in a letter to all companies (RD35/03). Ofwat advocated a move towards site-area-based charging for non-household customers. It considers that charging by site area is the fairest method of charging as it results in more cost-reflective charges for non-household customers.
	Northumbrian Water are phasing in site-area-based charging for SWD for existing non-household customers over three years. By 2008-09 charging will be based wholly on site area. This is designed to phase the impact on customers.
	Ofwat encourages companies to offer partial rebates to customers where it can be shown that water does not drain to a public sewer.

Organophosphates

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Department of Health on the possible health consequences of farmers using organophosphates.

Ben Bradshaw: Officials in both Departments are in regular contact about organophosphate issues and the possible consequences to human health. They do this in their daily work and through attending meetings of the Official Group on Organophosphates, the Veterinary Products Committee and the Medical and Scientific Panel.

Park Homes

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether, under the 2001 Water Order, park home site owners may charge maintenance costs in advance of maintenance on water and sewage systems being carried out; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: In April 2001, Ofwat introduced the Water Resale Order. This offers protection against overcharging to domestic customers who purchase their water or sewerage services from another person.
	The costs of maintaining or improving the water and sewerage infrastructure on park home sites (or any other site where water resale occurs) fall outside the scope of section 150 of the Water Industry Act 1991 and therefore the Water Resale Order. Maintenance costs must not be included in the water and sewerage charges.

Pig Industry

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of the presence of MRSA in pigs in  (a) the UK and  (b) imported pork; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: DEFRA policy with respect to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in animals is guided and advised by the DEFRA Antimicrobial Resistance Co-ordination (DARC) group, and specifically by the MRSA subgroup of DARC that was established in 2004 in response to increasing interest in this area. Following consultation with the subgroup and other interested parties, DEFRA has commissioned a research project, being conducted by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, to test all clinical isolates of  Staphylococcus aureus from cattle over a two-year period, for methicillin resistance. This work began in January 2006 and, to date, no MRSA isolates have been identified. DEFRA has also commissioned research, currently under way, investigating the risk factors for MRSA-related disease in companion animals.
	The inclusion of other livestock species, including pigs, in the remit of this project has been considered by the subgroup but has not been taken forward due to little evidence of the occurrence of MRSA in other food-producing animals in the UK, and due to the fact that  S. aureus is not generally considered to be a major pathogen in livestock species other than cattle, where it is a significant cause of mastitis.
	There is no current evidence that food-producing animals form a reservoir of MRSA infection in the UK, although the DARC MRSA subgroup will keep the situation under continued review.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is not aware of any UK surveillance of imported pork or other meats for the presence of MRSA. An FSA-funded survey to determine the prevalence of various pathogens and indicator organisms on raw red meat on retail sale is currently being undertaken across the UK. Both UK-produced and imported pork is included in this survey and, while enumeration of  S. aureus is being undertaken, isolates are not being screened for antimicrobial resistance.
	The FSA's advice on cooking of pork and pork products recommends that they should be thoroughly cooked. As there is no evidence to suggest that MRSA is more heat tolerant than other  S. aureus, cooking would be expected to destroy any MRSA if it was present on raw meat.

River Severn: Flooding

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the pallet flood defences for the Wribbenhall side of the River Severn at Bewdley were acquired; when they were deployed; for what reasons they were not deployed  (a) on and  (b) leading up to the flooding on 10 December 2006; what arrangements are in place to inform householders of (i) flood risks and (ii) flood protection deployment; and for what reason householders were not informed of the situation on 10 December 2006.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 14 December 2006
	The Environment Agency (EA) acquired the temporary defences early in 2006. They carried out a "dry trial" at the site in June and employed consultants Atkins Limited to review the performance of the defences.
	A draft report—"River Severn Temporary Flood Barriers-Interim Assessment of the Installation Locations"—issued by Atkins in September, raised concerns about the high risk of the barriers moving under certain conditions. The report recommended greater consideration of this matter and a more detailed review of each of the deployment locations. Further work is under way, but the health and safety issues at Bewdley are not yet resolved and until then the EA's view is that it would not be in the interests of public safety to deploy the defences at Beales Corner.
	The EA notified all affected residents of their position on 1 December via the Bewdley Residents' Flood Committee. Householders were also informed that the EA is optimistic that Wribbenhall will be protected from flooding in early 2007.
	The EA issued a Flood Watch on 6 December to317 householders, and a Flood Warning for the River Severn on 8 December to 279 householders through Flood Warnings Direct and local radio. Wyre Forest District Council were on site at Beales Corner with sand bags and door guards. The demountable defences on Severnside North and Severnside South were successfully deployed, protecting nearly 50 properties from flooding.

Single Payment Scheme

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many environmentally sensitive area payments have been delayed due to remapping in line with single farm payment areas.

Barry Gardiner: Natural England are required to carry out a number of administrative checks on all environmentally sensitive area scheme claims. Any discrepancies found are then investigated and resolved before payment is authorised. These checks include an automatic cross check against land parcel numbers on the rural land register but the number of claims that require further investigation specifically because of this are not recorded separately.

Single Payment Scheme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his latest estimate is of the percentage of single payment scheme funds which were disbursed by 30 June 2006 in England; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: As at 30 June 2006, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) disbursed £1.438 billion in full or partial payments to 107,888 claimants. This represents 94.1 per cent. of the latest estimated£1.528 billion total fund.
	Definitive percentage and total fund figures will be known only once the last claim is validated and necessary corrections made.

Waste Management

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research the Department has undertaken into best practice of local government in waste management and recycling facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) carries out a number of research projects on different aspects of waste management. WRAP's Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team (ROTATE) was launched in June 2004 as an addition to its existing programmes for local authorities (LAs). It is a free advisory service that provides hands-on advice and best practice to LAs in England and Northern Ireland on their collection programmes for dry recyclables and organic waste. The service also offers best practice advice on local communications and awareness programmes.
	WRAP provides toolkits and best practice guides for LAs. These collate results of LA-related studies, which enables the sharing of best practice. WRAP will also be running food waste collection pilots to research the most effective way to divert food waste from landfill. The research results will be shared with all LAs.
	Additionally, the DEFRA Waste Implementation Programme's Local Authority Support Unit (LASU) provides direct support and information to local authorities on waste disposal and recycling. The unit assists with the removal of barriers to improved waste performance and provides information on other agencies and programmes that offer relevant support.
	This good practice and guidance on waste management issues is shared to local authorities through the LASU website (http://lasupport.defra.gov.uk/). In addition, a Waste CD ROM containing good practice, toolkits, guidance, and further information was produced by LASU and made available to all LAs this year.

Waste Management

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities provide residents with the facility to recycle wet or putrescible food waste.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not hold a definitive list of all local authority recycling collection schemes, and these are also subject to rapid change. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) are aware of at least 15 local authorities that offer separate collection of food waste to their residents. There will also be others that co-collect food waste with garden waste. In 2005-06, local authorities in England collected an estimated 2.4 million tonnes of organic material, consisting of both kitchen and garden waste, although the vast majority of this will be garden waste. This organic waste was collected for centralised composting schemes from households via kerbside schemes or taken by householders to civic amenity sites.
	As well as providing compost, a useful end product, recycling food and kitchen waste helps divert waste from landfill and therefore contributes to our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
	WRAP is working to encourage more composting, providing support and advice to local authorities on collecting dry recyclable and organic wastes through its Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team (ROTATE).
	WRAP is also working with local authorities and other partners to improve the uptake of home composting and has distributed 1 million home composting bins to households across the country.

Waste Management

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which types of plastic bags can be characterised as compostible under EU regulations for disposal in wet or putrescible recycling bins.

Ben Bradshaw: The EU waste framework directive (WFD) classes composting as a recovery operation. Full recycling of kitchen and gardening waste occurs when the compost can be considered to be a finished product. The British PAS 100 standard for compost is widely accepted as defining requirements for finished compost products. The standard requires the plastic content of the compost to be strictly limited. In practice this means that only plastics conforming to the European standard EN13432:2000 should be included in garden and kitchen waste collections.

Water Pollution

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sampling points the Environment Agency used for sampling pesticide in water in each year from 2002to 2006.

Ian Pearson: The following table shows the number of sampling points used by the Environment Agency to analyse for pesticides in water in England and Wales in each year during 2002-06.
	
		
			   Sampling points 
			 2002 3,048 
			 2003 3,151 
			 2004 4,169 
			 2005 4,397 
			 2006 4,131

TRANSPORT

Congestion Charging

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on introducing congestion charging in the West Midlands.

Stephen Ladyman: The West Midlands Metropolitan authorities have been awarded £3.2 million of Transport Innovation Fund pump priming funding to explore the use of demand management solutions, including road pricing, to tackle their congestion problems.
	Their initial feasibility study, "Gridlock or Growth", published on 22 September 2006, set out the impact that different solutions, including road pricing, would have. Clearly there is more work to be done by the West Midlands and the Department for Transport will continue to work closely with them as they develop their thinking further.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's annual budget is for employing workers on a consultancy basis; and how much of this budget was used in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Gillian Merron: There is no specific, centrally held, departmental budget reserved for employing workers on a consultancy basis.
	Responsibilities for delivering objectives set through the departmental business plan and the budgets associated with those objectives are delegated to the relevant business unit. Each business unit is allocated an overall budget, from which they determine the proportion to be allocated, including that required for any consultancy support, to deliver those objectives. Budgets are monitored as part of the Department's resource management and business planning processes.
	Detailed information on consultancy budgets can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department is able to identify spend on external consultants and advisers since it was created in May 2002. This is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 227.5 
			 2003-04 239.5 
			 2004-05 193.3 
			 2005-06 72.1

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many temporary employees were contracted to work for his Department in 2005-06; and what the total cost of such employees was in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 1997-98.

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002. The number of temporary employees in 2005-06, for which information is available is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of staff/cost (£) 
			 Department for Transport (c) 86 temporary agency workers 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency (1)— 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency (1)— 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (1,2)— 
			 Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency 18 temporary agency employees in 2005-06 at a total cost of 278,784 
			 Highways Agency 164 contractors in 2005-06 at a total cost of 5,465,642 
			 Driving Standards Agency 86 temporary employees in 2005-06 at a total cost 1,473,000 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency 1 temporary employee in 2005-06 at a total cost of 21,490 
			 (1) No information available. (2) The annual report provides figures for agency/consultancy support.

Disabled Access Taxis

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Transport what the Government's policy is on implementation of taxi accessibility regulations under part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; what the time scale was for the Government's policy formulation on this policy; and what steps he has taken to secure implementation of the regulations.

Gillian Merron: An announcement was made in October 2003 on the policy approach for the implementation of taxi accessibility regulations under part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. We are looking at how best to deliver more accessible taxis in the light of ergonomic research, a joint study by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport and the International Road Transport Union on the provision of accessible taxis, as well as structured and informal consultations with stakeholders.

Disabled Access Taxis

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the likely financial impact of the implementation of taxi accessibility regulations under part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, on the taxi trade; and whom his Department has consulted on the implementation of the regulations.

Gillian Merron: An informal consultation on taxi accessibility regulations under part 5 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 took place with the trade and disability groups in 1997. The accompanying draft regulatory impact assessment is available on the Department's website. Further work is being done at present to inform the development of policy and costs for accessible taxis to bring this up to date.

Drink Driving

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an assessment of the  (a) drink-driving limit and  (b) penalties for exceeding the limit in each EU country.

Stephen Ladyman: The drink-driving limit is continually kept under review. At the present time the Government are not minded to change it. We believe the emphasis must be on effective enforcement against drivers who are over the existing limit.
	For an offence at the United Kingdom legal BAC limit of 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, the penalties in most EU countries are not as severe asin the United Kingdom, and for offences below80 mg the penalties are significantly lighter and generally only involve a fine.

Kent Rail Services

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to public funds was of upgrading the infrastructure on the North Kent rail lines in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: It is for Network Rail to determine the expenditure levels to operate, maintain and renew the infrastructure on each of its routes, to enable delivery of the targets set by the Office of Rail Regulation for the current Periodic Review. The hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his question:
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40 Melton Street
	London NW1 2EE

Level Crossings

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Transport what comparative assessment his Department has made of safety at manned full barrier level crossings, automatic full barrier level crossings and automatic half barrier level crossings; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Department has not undertaken such a comparative assessment. However the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) ensures through the level crossing order-making process that the appropriate protective equipment is in place to control the risks.
	Statistics on casualties at level crossings, broken down by type of crossing, are given in ORR's annual report on railway safety, a copy of which is in the House Library.

M20/M26

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Transport whether the installation of lighting at Junction 3 of the M20/M26 has now been approved; and what the contingent timetable is for the installation up to completion.

Stephen Ladyman: Approval to carry out the environmental statement, preparation and design work for the lighting scheme has been given and this is programmed to be carried out in 2007-08.
	A timetable for the installation up to completion will be dependent on the outcome of the environmental assessment and statutory procedures. A full environmental statement for the lighting scheme will need to be undertaken as junction 3 of the M20/M26 lies within an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has to prevent ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other substances in UK territorial waters; and if he will list the occasions on which each such power has been used in the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The MCA has no powers to prevent ship-to-ship transfers of oil and other substances in UK territorial waters.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the Sasser worm has had on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's electronic mapping system.

Stephen Ladyman: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's network was infected by the Sasser virus in May 2004. The outbreak was contained within a few hours and no lasting damage was caused to the HM Coastguard's systems, which include access to maps and charts.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what sanctions are available to enforce the regulatory regime for ship-to-ship transfers of oil  (a) in statutory harbour areas and  (b) elsewhere in UK territorial waters.

Stephen Ladyman: The Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/1056) apply in statutory harbour areas. This requires operators and harbour authorities to maintain oil pollution emergency plans. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) may, after consulting statutory harbour authorities, direct that a plan be altered if it is not compatible with the National Contingency Plan or is not appropriate for dealing with oil pollution incidents which may occur in the area in which the harbour authority or operator has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility (regulation 4). Failure to maintain the approved plan, or failure to implement the plan in the event of an oil pollution incident is a criminal offence punishable by a fine.
	In UK territorial waters (outside harbour authority areas), the Department's MCA has non-statutory arrangements and procedures under which ship owners and operators are expected to notify the MCA of the intention to carry out a ship-to-ship transfer, and to carry out such transfers according to best practice.

National Cycle Network

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to extend the National Cycle Network.

Tom Harris: The National Cycle Network (NCN) is not a central government led project, it is a network of on and off-road cycle routes promoted and co-ordinated by the transport charity Sustrans in partnership with local authorities.
	The Department has helped fund extensions to the Network, most recently through the "Links to School" project, which links residential areas to schools via the NCN. The Department has invested £15.705 million since 2004-05 either directly or through Cycling England. This investment is expected to generate a further £26.9 million of local authority matched funding by the end of 2006-07. Cycling England has plans to allocate further funds to the project in 2007-08.

Peterborough to Cambridge Rail Service

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will support the establishment of a rail service between Peterborough and Cambridge; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The direct hourly train service between Peterborough and Cambridge will continueto be provided by Central Trains, as part of its Birmingham-Stansted airport service, until the endof the Central franchise in November 2007. The continuation of this service is a mandatory requirement in the new Cross Country franchise, due to commence on 11 November 2007.

Prosecutions: Electronic Link

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the system for transfer of cases for consideration of prosecution via electronic link from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service; when he first became aware of difficulties with the system; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The effectiveness of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) systems for communicating with external stakeholders and customers is kept under constant review.
	DVLA has been working closely with the Crown Office since late 2005 on the implementation of an electronic link to transfer cases for possible prosecution.
	There have been problems setting up and using this electronic link. A suitable method of transmitting these cases is now in place and work is continuing to make this process as streamlined as possible.

Public Transport

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the overall percentage rise in train ticket prices has been in Essex in the last 10 years.

Tom Harris: Figures are not available by county. However, fares for London and Southeast operators rose by 2 per cent. in real terms between 1995 and 2006. If only standard class fares are considered, the increase was 1.7 per cent. This includes a 3.4 per cent. decrease in regulated commuter fares.

Public Transport

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many increases in train ticket prices there were in Essex in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Harris: There will have been one major change in fares each year, although small adjustments may have been made at the June and September fares- setting rounds in each year.

Rail Fares

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the price range was of a  (a) 1(st) class,  (b) 2(nd) class and  (c) sleeper return train ticket between London and Edinburgh in each year since 1997; and what the rail subsidy from the public purse was in each year.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transport does not hold fares information for every year between 1997 to 2006. However, fares in 1996 are given in the following table:
	
		
			  1996 
			  £ 
			   Cheapest  Most expensive 
			  Daytime trains:   
			 1(st) class one way 98.00 98.00 
			 1(st) class return 98.00 196.00 
			 2(nd) class one way 28.50 68.00 
			 2(nd) class return 29.00 130.00 
			
			  Sleepers:   
			 1(st) class one way 131.00 131.00 
			 1(st) class return 164.00 262.00 
			 2(nd) class one way 88.00 95.00 
			 2(nd) class return 116.00 157.00 
		
	
	Fares for travel in 2006 may be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk, or (for Caledonian Sleeper bargain berth fares) at www.firstscotrail.com. Inflation was approximately 17.3 per cent. over this period. Subsidy is not attributable to individual fares or journeys.

Rail Links

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for a direct rail link between Shropshire and London; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Department for Transport has no plans to add a direct rail service between Shropshire and London to any rail franchise. However an open access operator, The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company (WSMR) has applied to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for track access rights for a new service between Wrexham and London Marylebone via Shrewsbury, which they hope to introduce in 2007.

Railway Stations

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unmanned railway stations there are.

Tom Harris: According to the records of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) 1,187 stations are unmanned Monday to Saturday and 1,649 on Sundays.

Railways: Fatalities

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the change in the numbers of public accidental fatalities on the railways since 2004.

Tom Harris: Details on the number of fatalities for 2004 and 2005 are in the annual reports on railway safety, produced for 2004 by the Health and Safety Executive and for 2005 by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Copies are in the House Library. The report for 2006 is expected to be published by ORR in mid-2007.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is on the application of the national default retirement age to staff below the Senior Civil Service.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport has a default retirement age of 65 for staff below the senior civil service. Employees have the right to request to work beyond the default retirement age and all applications will be carefully considered.

Secure Stations

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many stations with secure station status have had their designation removed since 1 December 2004; and which stations have been designated under the scheme since that date.

Tom Harris: Since 1 December 2004, a total of 410 rail stations have been accredited under the secure stations scheme. Of this total, 230 are first time accreditations and 180 are re-accreditations. No stations have had their secure status withdrawn since the launch of the scheme in 1998.
	A list of the accredited and re-accredited stations since 1 December 2004 has been placed in the Library of the House.

Traffic: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the report and dataon traffic movements in Peterborough prepared by English Partnerships to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: We have not commissioned such a report. Publication is a matter for English Partnerships.

Train Cancellations

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains were cancelled because of vandalism on the tracks  (a) in each region and  (b) by each train operating company in each year since 1997.

Tom Harris: Train cancellation data for the Rail Network as a whole are collected and processed by Network Rail. The information requested is not held by the Department.

Train Overcrowding

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are in place to monitor the performance against targets of train operating companies with regard to their management of over-crowding on  (a) all weekend services and  (b) weekend (i) intercity and (ii) cross-country services.

Tom Harris: Franchise agreements allow the Department for Transport to monitor actual passenger demand.
	The franchise agreements require the franchise operator to draw up plans that demonstrate how they will allocate rolling stock to meet passenger demand and includes mechanisms which penalise the train operator if they fail to deliver the capacity stated in the plan.
	Franchise agreements also include an obligation to plan the timetable to ensure, so far as possible, that overcrowding is not unduly concentrated on any particular route or passenger service.

Train Timetables

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to dissuade train operating companies from rescheduling timetables so as to reduce calls by peak-time commuter trains at rural or non-urban stations; and what assessment he has made of the effect on the volume of road traffic of such changes to timetables.

Tom Harris: The franchise agreements between the Secretary of State for Transport and each franchised train operator specify the number of services the operator is to provide and the stations at which these services are to call. The franchise agreement also specifies peak-time services wherethere is a need to provide journey to work/school opportunities at rural or non-urban stations.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what effect the security environment in Afghanistan is having on his Department's operations in the country; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The security situation across much of Afghanistan is broadly stable. However in the south, particularly in the provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, Government of Afghanistan authority and the rule of law have not yet been established. As a consequence the security situation is much more fragile.
	In much of the country, therefore, security is not the primary constraint to development. However in the south, poor security does present difficulties for delivering development, particular for the agencies which donors and the Government of Afghanistan employ to implement their programmes. The ability of those agencies to operate is constrained by concerns about the security of their staff.
	Despite the security constraints in Helmand, the UK has committed about $9 million to over 80 quick impact projects in that province, and will see the start very soon of the construction of 200 wells and49 kilometres of road in an around Lashkar Gah, under the DFID funded Helmand Agricultural and Rural Development Programme.
	Afghanistan remains one of the most fragile of states in which DFID works, but it is also one of the poorest countries in the world. Although in most of the country security is adequate for development to take place, that is not uniform across the country. We are working closely with others in the UK and with international partners to ensure that both security and development in those areas can improve.

Afghanistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to improve the status of women in Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: Improving the status of women will be vital to achieving the Government of Afghanistan's development objectives. DFID's programme is helping to improve the status of women in a number of ways.
	DFID is supporting a five year Women's Empowerment programme, implemented by Womankind, through our Civil Society Challenge Fund. This £500,000 initiative is focused on promoting women's equal participation in governance; building awareness of women's rights among civil society and policy makers; and on providing educational, health, community and psycho-social support to those women affected by violence and conflict.
	DFID provided significant support to the Government of Afghanistan to help ensure women fully participated in the election process in 2005. Workshops took place to enable women to help shape their new constitution and to educate the women about the election and voting process. 43 per cent. of the total voters were women. Currently a quarter of MPs in Parliament are women.
	DFID has provided £20 million to the Micro-Finance and Investment Support Facility of Afghanistan (MISFA). This provides micro credit loans to over 234,000 beneficiaries across 20 provinces. Over 70 per cent. of these beneficiaries are currently women, giving them the opportunity to develop their own economic opportunities. MISFA plans to expand to all 34 provinces by the end of 2007.
	DFID has provided £17 million to the Afghan Government's National Solidarity Programme (NSP). This programme has led to the creation of 15,103 Community Development Councils (CDCs). Under this programme, DFID is pressing for more effort tobe placed on improving women's participation in the councils. Female-only CDCs have already been established and have become fora for discussion on issues that women could not previously discuss openly in mixed gender CDCs (e.g. on health, domestic violence and literacy).
	The UK also continues to work with the Afghan Government to ensure gender is fully addressed and integrated into the Afghanistan National Development Strategy, which will provide the framework for development over the next five years.

Afghanistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of violence against women in Afghanistan;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of wives in Afghanistan treated as slave workers.

Hilary Benn: DFID has not made any formal assessment of the level of violence against women in Afghanistan, nor estimated the number of wives treated at slave workers.
	However, Womankind, an organisation which DFID supports through the Civil Society Challenge Fund, published a report in October 2006 called Taking Stock Update: Afghan Women and Girls Five Years On'. This research report, which was recently launched at an event in the House of Commons, looks at progress made in line with international and national law. The report covers violence against women (domestic abuse and violence in the community). It identifies progress but more importantly the areas of concern and the security challenges. The report is available at the Womankind website at:
	http://www.womankind.org.uk/takingstockdownloads.html
	I will also ensure that copies are placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2006,  Official Report, column 23W, on Afghanistan, what his latest assessment is of the effect of violence and intimidation on school attendance rates across Afghanistan in 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: As stated in the answer of 21 November, UNICEF reports that the number of children in school increased from 1.2 million in March 2002, to 5.1 million in December 2005.
	As DFID does not provide direct assistance tothe education sector, we have not made a detailed assessment of the effect of violence and intimidation on school attendance. However, according to a recent report from Human Rights Watch: 'Lessons in Terror: Attacks on Education in Afghanistan', the majority of children of primary school age remain out of school, and many children in rural areas have no access to schools. The report cites the main reasons for this as:
	(i) attacks on teachers, students and schools by armed groups forcing schools to close; and
	(ii) attacks against representatives of the Afghan Government and NGOs, along with general lawlessness, making it too dangerous to open new schools.
	Despite the improvements, the effects of violence and intimidation on enrolment rates and attendance are deeply worrying, particularly for girls. The problem is particularly acute in the areas where security is poor. The UK is working to improve security in Afghanistan, particularly in the south, and in so doing providea better enabling environment for development, including education, to take place.

Angola

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the UK development aid programme in Angola.

Hilary Benn: DFID's programme in Angola is closely monitored through project reviews, field assessments and discussion with partners. Our approach to improving aid effectiveness in our management of the Angola programme includes supporting joint analysis and programming with partners, working to build national capacity, and seeking to strengthen the impact of multilateral partners such as the European Commission and World Bank. A recent visit by the All Party Parliamentary Group praised DFID's programme in Angola, particularly our support for de-mining and urban poverty.

Angola

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Angola about  (a) good governance and  (b) probity of public agencies.

Hilary Benn: DFID's activity in Angola has two objectives that address good governance and probity: to promote the transparent use of resources in support of reducing poverty; and to promote systems that enable citizens to influence state policy and practice. We primarily support these through partners.
	For example, we are promoting the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Angola. EITI supports improved governance in resource-rich countries through the full publication and verification of company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining. We have encouraged the Government of Angola to sign up to this initiative, and have also supported the World Bank to engage on this with them. Although the Government are not yet a member of EITI, it now attends EITI conferences as an observer, and has taken a number of steps in line with EITI including: independent audits of the national oil company Sonangol; publishing of budgetary information on the Ministry of Finance website; and adoption of an integrated financial management system.
	Other areas where we are engaging on good governance and probity include: technical support to help the Ministry of Finance identify and address capacity needs on planning and budgeting, in partnership with the European Commission; support for fiscal decentralisation through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is helping the Government with the development of new legislation and decentralisation pilots; and support for strengthened citizen-government engagement on urban poverty and services through an NGO consortium(the Luanda Urban Poverty Programme). A recent independent review of this last programme (October 2006) found that it had raised the profile of urban poverty and influenced the course of some key policy decisions in Government.
	We will continue to work with partners on these issues, which we see as critical for sustained peace and equitable development in Angola.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid was given to British overseas territories by his Department in 2005-06.

Gareth Thomas: DFID bilateral aid to overseas territories in the fiscal year 2005-06 was £31.6 million of which £21.6 million was in the form of financial aid.
	For statistical reporting purposes, the term financial aid covers poverty reduction budget support andother projects and programmes. A full breakdown of bilateral aid for overseas territories is published in table 12 of 'Statistics on International Development 2001-02 to 2005-06', a copy of which is available in the Library.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the Government have spent on projects promoting human rights in Burma in each of the past five years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID bilateral aid spent on supporting projects promoting human rights in Burma for the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on human rights 
			  Fiscal year  £ 
			 2002-03 3,593,223 
			 2003-04 1,444,279 
			 2004-05 2,429,873 
			 2005-06 2,451,521 
			 2006-07 2,370,562 
			  Note: These figures include the provision of basic services to refugees and other conflict-affected people; the protection work of the International Committee of the Red Cross in prisons and in ethnic minority areas; and the provision of emergency relief to internally-displaced people.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the possible implications of the closing of Red Cross offices in Burma for Red Cross projects funded by his Department.

Gareth Thomas: DFID, with the British embassy in Rangoon, is continuing to press the Burmese authorities to reconsider their decision to force the closure of the field offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Burma. We have sent the statement I made on 29 November to the Ministers of Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Health, Labour, and National Economic Planning and Development. We remain in close contact with ICRC on the developing situation. At the same time, in case the Burmese authorities do not reverse their decision, we are investigating alternative means of replacing the important work which ICRC has been carrying out.

Cluster Munitions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the  (a) Ministry of Defence and  (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the banning of cluster munitions.

Hilary Benn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 23 November 2006,  Official Report, column 190W. Since the progress made on cluster munitionsat the Review Conference on the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Ministers have not discussed the issue. Officials from DFID, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office are, however, in regular contact on how best to support the work of the Expert Group which will report back to the meeting of CCW States Parties in November 2007. This is an essential preliminary step towards negotiations for a new legally binding instrument.

Cluster Munitions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has carried out of the effect on civilians in developing countries of cluster munitions which failed to explode during action subsequently exploding; and whether any assessment has been carried out on the effect on children in particular.

Hilary Benn: Certain types of cluster munitions have unacceptably high failure rates, which vary in relation to the prevailing conditions in which they are used. If they are used in large numbers, unexploded bomblets can be left scattered densely and indiscriminately over a wide area. When these are set off, the explosion can kill anyone within 50 m. They represent a threat to aid workers, peace-keepers, medical services, Internally Displaced Persons and anyone else entering an area immediately after the cessation of hostilities. The design of cluster munitions means that often children are attracted to them. The threat to returning civilians is exacerbated when cluster munitions are used over soft terrain such as recently ploughed farmland. Unexploded bomblets can lie buried just beneath the surface making it dangerous for farmers to cultivate their land.
	Casualty figures are hard to verify but reports indicate that unexploded cluster munitions killed thousands of civilians in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The UN reports around 1 million unexploded cluster bomblets in Southern Lebanon. So far,23 civilian deaths and 145 injuries have resulted from unexploded ordnance, mainly cluster munitions. Of these totals, children 18 years old or younger accounted for six of the fatalities and 55 of the injuries.

Cluster Munitions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will seek discussions with the Belgian Government on their decision to ban cluster munitions.

Hilary Benn: I currently have no plans to discuss this matter with the Belgian Government. We need all the major producers and users of cluster munitions to participate in negotiating new protocols on the use of these weapons. Without these countries an agreement won't deliver the humanitarian benefits we want. SoI think it is better to give the UN process—agreedat the Review Conference of the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW)—a chance to succeed. If it does not, then we will need to look again at other options to achieving our aim of banning 'dumb' cluster munitions.

Cluster Munitions

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the Government will support the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Bill introduced in the House of Lords on 23 November.

Hilary Benn: The Government have no plans to prohibit the use, development, production, acquisition and transfer of all cluster munitions. It has announced that it wants to see "dumb" types of cluster munitions withdrawn from use—those that pose the greatest humanitarian threat because they have a large number of explosive sub-munitions, have no target discriminating capability or don't self-destruct or deactivate if they miss the target.
	The UK currently has four different types of cluster munitions, all of which will go out of service between 2009 and 2021. We plan to phase out use of our dumb cluster munitions by the middle of next decade. We cannot withdraw them from service immediately as this would risk leaving our armed forces with a capability gap. At a time when our armed forces are performing a range of complex tasks in difficult environments, we need to ensure they have the systems they need to conduct the operations we ask of them, including the weapons that provide for their force protection.

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was paid in compensation payments by his Department in 2005-06; and what the reason was for each payment.

Gareth Thomas: During 2005-06 DFID made compensation payments of £20,982. The reasons for the payments are shown as follows:
	£3,756 paid to a landlord in Nepal for destruction by terrorists of a DFID rented house;
	£1,000 paid to a member of staff for loss of personal effects; and
	£16,226.24 paid to eight colonial pensioners in respect of underpayments of pension over a number of years due to incorrect exchange rates being applied.

Conflict Areas

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the proportion of the population in states affected by conflict which is able to access primary health care.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not maintain an agreed list of 'states affected by conflict'. We do have a list of 'fragile states' which we are currently reviewing, as countries frequently move in and out of fragility and conflict, and political circumstances in a country can rapidly change. This list will include countries that are generally recognised to be conflict-affected. Detail on DFID's current definition and list of fragile states can be found in DFID's policy paper, "Why We Need to Work More Effectively in Fragile States", page 7 and annex 1, which is available in the House of Commons Library.
	There is not a universally recognised single indicator for 'access to primary health care'. The primary source of global health statistics is the World Health Organisation's "World Health Statistics" publication, of which the 2006 edition is the latest. This lists 50 health indicators for WHO's 192 member states. Indicators include infant and maternal mortality rates, life expectancy at birth, immunisation coverage, births attended by skilled health personnel and a variety of indicators covering nutritional status. Collating this data and then deriving a single measure of the proportion of the population able to access primary health care would be both difficult and incur disproportionate costs. I have instead placed a copy of the WHO publication in the House of Commons Library. However, by way of illustration, the 2004 figures for measles immunisation among one-year-olds in the DRC, Somalia and Sudan are 64 per cent., 40 per cent. and 59 per cent. respectively, compared to 91 per cent., 83 per cent. and 94 per cent. for Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania.

Conflict Areas

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to improve aid delivery in states affected by conflict.

Hilary Benn: Our 2006 White Paper said that we would concentrate our development assistance on countries with the largest number of poor people and on fragile states. In such states we are taking a number of steps to improve aid delivery and to reduce conflict. These include:
	Improving our understanding of the context and the underlying causes of conflict in order to improve the effectiveness of our development assistance. Over the past three years the number of conflict advisers working for DFID has increased from 10 to 35.
	Supporting local, national and international mechanisms to manage and resolve disputes peacefully. We are working with others to push for reform of the UN and regional organisations such as the African Union so that they are better able to respond effectively to conflict and humanitarian crises. With other donors, we have agreed a set of 'Principles for Good International Engagement in Fragile States and Situations'. These have been endorsed by the OECD's Development Assistance Committee and are currently being piloted in nine countries. For more details on UN reform and institutional strengthening please refer to the DFID written answer to PQ 105318.
	Delivering aid through both government and non-government channels as appropriate to ensure that aid reaches those most in need. We support multi-donor funds, such as the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust fund and the Joint Programme for HIV and AIDS in Burma as a way of co-ordinating donors and reducing transaction costs for recipients. Social Funds, for example that developed in Yemen, have also proved successful.
	Ensuring that our humanitarian assistance conforms with the Good Humanitarian Donorship Principles and delivers adequate, predictable and flexible finance where it is most needed.
	Where appropriate, we are concluding longer-term agreements with partner governments to better enable delivery of basic services such as education, health, water and sanitation and social protection.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects to reply to the letter of 25 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard toDr. Hay, transferred from HM Treasury.

Hilary Benn: The letter of 25 October from my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton on behalf of his constituent Dr. Hay was received in DFID on 6 November. A reply to this was issued on27 November on behalf of myself and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Departmental Staff

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent from his Department's central administration budget on  (a) reasonable adjustments for disabled staff and  (b) the recruitment and retention of disabled staff in each of the last four years.

Gareth Thomas: The costs of reasonable adjustments in DFID are met by the different sections across the Department, rather than a central budget. DFID does not currently have a system in place to centrally collect these data. Also, disability-related adjustments are not recorded separately from general adjustments to the workplace. We are taking steps to start recording this information centrally.
	Other than the cost of specific advertising to attract disabled applicants in the last year (£24,024), we do not have details of money spent on the recruitment and retention of disabled staff for the past four years.

Democratic Republic of Congo Conflict

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department plans to provide assistance to the people moving from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo into Ugandato avoid the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and whether he plans to make representations on the humanitarian situation to  (a) the UN and  (b) his EU counterparts.

Hilary Benn: Between 6 and 8 December an estimated 12,000 Congolese crossed into south-western Uganda to escape fighting between the Congolese army and a rebel group led by a renegade General called Laurent Nkunda. By 9 December fighting had stopped. Most of those who crossed into Uganda have now returned to their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is estimated that only 2,500 remain.
	The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sent an emergency assessment team to the area on 7 December. UNHCR, the Red Cross and a number of other agencies are providing humanitarian assistance and the refugees now have clean water, shelter, food and access to health care.
	UNHCR and the other agencies involved have so far responded using their own contingency funds and they have not made any requests for additional resources. The DFID office in Uganda remains in close touch with UNHCR and is ready to help if required. Other EU member states that have missions in Uganda are also monitoring the situation closely.

Economic Partnership Agreement

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of Statefor International Development 
	(1)  whether the Government support national EU financing for those African Caribbean Pacific regions and countries that do not enter into an economic partnership agreement with the European Union;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the proposed financial protocol within the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations by some African Caribbean Pacific countries for additional funding to build trade capacity and compensate for revenue losses.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is strongly supportive of funds being provided to developing countries, including the ACP, to assist them with enhancing their trade capacity. This money should not be conditional on entry into any specific trade agreement.
	ACP countries receive European Development Fund money under the Cotonou agreement. This is provided to all ACP countries at both a national and regional level and can be used, depending on the needs in the country, on trade capacity building. In addition funds for aid for trade have been promised by EU member states. MSs are committed to fund €1 billion per annum of aid for trade spending, mostly to ACP states, by 2010. The UK contribution to this is a commitment to spend £100 million per annum by 2010. DFID is currently scaling up aid for trade spending in order to meet this commitment. The UK's aid for trade spending is available to countries if they decide to sign an EPA or not.
	The UK is not convinced that a new finance facility as proposed by some ACP countries will provide a timely or reliable way of providing additional funding. Our preference is to improve the disbursement and operation of existing mechanisms for the delivery of development assistance.

European Development Fund

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria will be used to allocate funding from the 10th European Development Fund.

Gareth Thomas: €22,682 billion will be spent through the 10th European Development Fund (EDF 10, 2008-2013). Of this amount, €21,966 billion will be spent on programmes that will benefit the 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, €286 million will benefit the overseas countries and territories (OCTs) and €430 million will cover administrative costs.
	The Commission has allocated just under half of the €21,966 billion to national indicative programmes for ACP countries, primarily based on their needs and performance. Needs are measured by factors such as population size, income levels, the level of social development and a country's vulnerability to external shocks. Performance is measured by the absorption of previous EDF funds, and a series of indicators that measure economic, political and social performance. Each country's initial national allocation stands to be increased by around 25 per cent. according to its performance against a series of governance indicators and its commitment to further governance reforms. None of the ACP countries will receive less than they receive under EDF 9 (2003-2007). The allocation model has been discussed with member states.
	Around €5.1 billion of funds will be provided for regional programmes and activities including trade integration and peace and security work. This money is allocated partly as a proportion of funding for national indicative programmes in each of the regions, and partly on the basis of needs for specific activities identified by the EC and agreed with member states. €1.5 billion will be used by the European Investment Bank to make loans to support private sector development in ACP countries. The criteria for allocating funds to the OCTs will be agreed inearly 2007.

Fiji

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what impact the recent coup in Fiji will have on aid projects funded by the UK; whether he has considered cancelling aid; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK does not have a bilateral assistance programme with Fiji. For the period 2003-07, Fiji has been allocated €23 million (£15.5 million) of EU Community assistance, of which the UK share is 12.7 per cent or €2.9 million (£2 million).
	The UK fully supported the EU statement of5 December that condemned the recent military takeover in Fiji and the removal of the democratically elected Government; and called for the urgent and full restoration of democracy as well as the return of civilian rule. The EU is urgently seeking to engage in a dialogue with the Fijian authorities on this matter. The EU will consider the situation in the forthcoming weeks and, in the light of developments, may decide on a range of measures which could, as a last resort, include the suspension of cooperation with Fiji.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what efficiency savings have been made in his Department as a result of the Gershon review; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: In 2005-06 DFID made provisional efficiency savings of £119.8 million. In the first two quarters of 2006-07 (to the end of September 2006) provisional savings of £186.6 million were made. These figures were published in DFID's autumn performance report (APR) 2006, which was laid before Parliament on 7 December 2006. It is available both in hard copy in the Library of the House of Commons and electronically on DFID's website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/news/files/autumn-report-2006.asp.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent by his Department in order to achieve Gershon efficiency savings; whether these costs have been accounted for in reporting of headline efficiency savings; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Sir Peter Gershon's independent report into public sector efficiency recommended that efficiencies be recorded gross of up-front investment costs and DFID has followed this advice.
	The bulk of DFID's efficiency programme of£420 million is not contingent on new investment. However new investment is contributing to achievement of the administrative cost savings target of £20 million. The level of such investment throughout the SR04 period is expected to be around £50 million.

Iraq

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what effect the security environment in Iraq is having on his Department's operations in the country; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The serious security situation is having an adverse impact on reconstruction and economic development in Iraq. In particular, it has limited the presence and ability to work of the UN, World Bank, NGOs, and donors, including DFID. However, in spite of security concerns, our programme of assistance has continued and progress has been made.
	DFID has managed to be creative in finding ways of working in the current security situation. Through reports from local engineers, and through photographs and video clips of infrastructure projects, our Iraqi contractors are able to ensure a continuing measure of monitoring and quality control. DFID has also benefited from close logistical support from the UK military for transporting project equipment and staff. Despite the obstacles, by the summer of 2007, DFID projects will have improved electricity supply and access to water for around a million people in southern Iraq.
	In Baghdad, the International Zone affords a degree of protection and an environment in which our international experts can meet Iraqi partners to advise them on economic and institutional reform. However, outside the International Zone, access to key ministries remains limited.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on regeneration in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: Prime Minister Maliki's Government is just six months old and faces immense security, political and economic challenges as a result of more than 20 years of conflict, mismanagement and chronic underinvestment from Saddam's brutal regime. Continued violence, including sabotage of key infrastructure facilities, and low (but growing) levels of technical capacity in Iraq's national and local governments, is slowing progress. However, there have been some notable successes:
	In December 2005, just over 12 million people (76 per cent. of the population) voted in democratic elections, putting in place a Council of Representatives for the next four years. An Iraqi Government of National Unity has been in place since May.
	The economy has rebounded quickly; Iraq's GDP is projected at $48 billion in 2006, up from $18.4 billion in 2002. With help from donors, including DFID, the interim government negotiated an Emergency Post-Conflict Agreement (EPCA) with the IMF worth US$436 million, paving the way for the Paris Club debt reduction deal.
	Iraq's infrastructure was badly maintained during the1990s with little new investment. Since 2003 more thanUS $3.5 billion has been spent on electricity, adding nearly 5,000 MW to the grid. However improvements have been off-set by continued sabotage, inadequate fuel supplies, and lack of Iraqi capacity to operate and maintain the new systems. Current generation averages 4,400 MW, compared to 4,300 MW pre-conflict and 2,500 MW immediately post-conflict.
	Over 5 million children have received life-saving vaccinations. More than 180,000 teachers and healthcare professionals have been trained. Hundreds of healthcare facilities have been rehabilitated. Over 5,000 schools have been rehabilitated, and a further 450 are planned or under way.
	Media and civil society is flourishing. 250 newspapersand magazines have been launched since the fall of the regime, and new, independent radio and TV stations are now up and running. 2,500 Iraqi NGOs are now registered with the Iraqi Government.
	DFID is committed to supporting Iraq's reconstruction progress. Our programme focuses on:
	Improving power and water services in southern Iraq. By summer 2007, we will have improved electricity supply and access to water for around a million people.
	Helping Iraq manage its substantial resources effectively. By building the capacity of local and national Government to manage Government business and deliver services effectively; and supporting the Government's macro-economic reform programme which will help to generate growth and reduce poverty.
	Helping the poor and marginalised to participate in the political process, and supporting the development of Iraqi civil society.
	DFID has already disbursed £367 million on our programme to Iraq. This includes over £100 millionfor humanitarian relief and £70 million for the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI)—trust funds managed by the UN and World Bank.

Iraq

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of corruption amongst public agencies in Iraq on the effective distribution of development aid.

Hilary Benn: Corruption poses a risk to the momentum of recovery and reconstruction in Iraq. The US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) reports that corruption costs Iraq US$4 billion per year. At the moment, the Iraqi Commission of Public Integrity are pursuing more than 1,400 cases involving US$5 billion in suspected fraud and other criminal activities. It is essentialthat the Government of Iraq, supported by the international community, is able to take the lead in tackling this issue.
	The UK, with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other donors, continue to work with the Iraqi Government to improve accountability and transparency in Iraq's public finances at both national and provincial levels. The Government of Iraq has announced plans to establish a Joint Anti-Corruption Council (JACC), the purpose of which is to advise the Prime Minister on anti-corruption policy and to improve co-ordination among the different bodies and institutions covering the rule of law, transparency and governance. In late July, the World Bank hosted an anti-corruption workshop in Dubai that brought Iraqis and donors together to examine how the Bank and others can more effectively assist in the fight against corruption.
	DFID has reporting arrangements in place for each of our own projects, which means that the funding is tracked and monitored throughout the process. All of DFID's funds are subject to rigorous internal controls and the National Audit Office audits DFID's accounts on an annual basis. Our 2005-06 audited resource accounts are available at
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/aboutdfid/resource-accounts.asp

Jamaica

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the recent outbreak of malaria in Jamaica.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is monitoring the situation closely.
	The Jamaica newspaper,  The Gleaner reported that the first case of malaria was uncovered on 6 November. As of the 12 December 2006, the number of confirmed cases was 61. Of these, 43 people have been treatedand discharged from hospital. Cases have been concentrated in West Kingston and in St. Catherine.
	All cases have been found to be of the 'falciparum type' and to be sensitive to the antimalarial medication chloroquine. The local health authorities are treating mosquito breeding sites and are undertaking a public information campaign.
	There is a backlog of samples taken, but not yet tested and the Ministry of Health has now sent some samples to Canada and the US in order to speed up testing. The total number of malaria cases may exceed the 61 confirmed cases.
	Updated FCO travel advice recommends travellers to Jamaica to seek medical advice about the malaria risk in Jamaica before travelling, to take precautions to avoid being bitten while there, and to promptly seek medical care in the event of developing a fever or flu-like illness.

Kashmir

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of the resources made available by the Indian Government on the number of fatalities arising from the earthquake in Kashmir.

Gareth Thomas: The earthquake in Indian Administered Kashmir affected up to one million people. 4,500 people were injured and 1,370 died. The Indian army was closely involved in the immediate relief effort and deployed helicopters to lift people, equipment and supplies. There was no suggestion that there was a shortage of helicopters. Indeed, the Indian authorities offered helicopters to the Government of Pakistan to cope with the far greater destruction in Pakistan Administered Kashmir, though, in the event, the Pakistan authorities decided they did not wish to take up the offer.

Kenya

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effect of corruption and poor governance upon the effectiveness of British aid in Kenya.

Hilary Benn: DFID takes corruption very seriously. The Government of Kenya are clearly not tackling corruption as effectively as they could and we need to adopt a coordinated and common response across the donor community. The Government of Kenya have developed a governance strategy which Kenyans want to see implemented and leading to high level prosecutions based on sound evidence. We expect the same and will continually monitor progress.
	Direct budget support is not appropriate for Kenya so we give our aid in other ways. Our aid has stringent safeguards and checks and is making a significant impact. For example, our support to the education sector is channelled through a separate account to help ensure that all the money goes towards the stated aims of an extra 12,000 classrooms, education materials for each of the 19,000 primary schools, etc. Much of our aid, especially in public financial management and political empowerment but also across all our programmes, aims and assists to shed light on the Government of Kenya's operations. We will continue to engage with other agencies, strengthening systems and institutions, building capacity and supporting reform. By doing so, over time, and as long as the Government take the lead, the opportunities for corruption will be removed, checks and balances built, and accountability strengthened.

Kenya

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of British aid programmes in Kenya.

Hilary Benn: In September DFID undertook a comprehensive and independent evaluation of its Kenya programme from 2000-06. This evaluation concluded that the programme has been in large part successful in delivering what it set out to achieve. It acknowledged that this is a good outcome in a difficult governance environment.
	At an individual project level, DFID requires that all projects over £1 million are subject to annual and completion reviews. Over two-thirds of these reviews over 2000-06 concluded that the aims of the projects are likely to be completely, largely, or partly achieved. That proportion improves for reviews at project completion and for the higher spend projects.
	Furthermore, each major project design is subject to a fiduciary risk assessment—an evaluation of likely financial risk, particularly associated with corruption and diversion of resources. This assessment guides mitigation measures such as parallel accounts, as in the education sector, or separate financial management agents, as in the health or lands sector.

Palestinian Territories

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of the Temporary International Mechanism on the socio-economic conditions of the people of Gaza and the West Bank.

Hilary Benn: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Bank maintain an up to date assessment of the socio-economic conditions of the people in Gaza and the West Bank. The Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) has directly provided fuel to the Gaza electricity company, hospitals and water installations to maintain basic services following the destruction of the Gaza power plant in June this year. The TIM has also been used to pay for allowances for teachers and medical workers, thereby helping President Abbas negotiate an end to the public sector strike in those sectors. In March, at the start of the economic crisis, the World Bank predicted a 27 per cent. decline in real GDP by the end of the year. Due to the increase in aid flows, including the support provided by the TIM, they have now adjusted that to8 to 9 per cent. decline.

Palestinian Territories

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in the restoration of the electricity supply in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: In the Gaza Strip, electricity supply is back to normal. All seven of the power plant's generators, which were destroyed in June by the Israel Defence Forces, were replaced in November. The power plant is now working at full capacity.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is on the application of the national default retirement age to staff below the Senior Civil Service.

Gareth Thomas: DFID operates, with effect from1 October 2006, a default retirement age of 65 for staff below the senior civil service. We also operate a 'right to request' procedure for staff who want to work beyond 65.
	DFID is however keeping its default retirementage under review. If experience and evidence showsthat we are able to remove the default retirementage without negative impact on performance and workforce planning, we will consider this in advance of the Government's review of the Equality Employment (Age) Regulations in 2011.

Rwanda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps have been taken by his Department to foster civil society groups within Rwanda.

Hilary Benn: In Rwanda, DFID fosters civil society groups in several different ways. Most importantly, DFID facilitates participation of civil society groups in policy discussion with the Government of Rwanda and the international development community. This is an effective way of increasing civil society's capacity to hold Government to account. For example, DFID has provided project funding to Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) to encourage associations of people with disabilities to participate in preparations for Rwanda's new Poverty Reduction Strategy. We also support capacity building in civil society groups. Recently, for example, DFID has been assisting Norwegian People's Aid, Action Aid, Trocaire and SNV to assess how far their processes and programmes are successfully supporting gender equality objectives.

Sudan

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the sum required by the African Union Mission in Sudan for salaries and allowances for its troops in October and November 2006 he expects to be covered by the direct funding supplied by his Department; and how much has been supplied by other donors.

Hilary Benn: The UK is giving a cash contribution of £13.5 million towards the payment of personnel costs for the African Union Mission in Sudan. This will be used to cover catering costs and payment of allowances and life insurance for AMIS personnel. UK funds will meet these costs for approximately eight to nine weeks. In doing so we will be taking over from the European Commission Africa Peace Facility, whose scheduled funding ended on 20 October 2006.

Sudan

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussionshe has had with non-governmental organisations operating in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: DFID talks to a wide range of NGOs working in Darfur. I meet regularly with a number of NGOs to discuss the situation in Darfur, as does the Foreign Secretary; most recently the Prime Minister and I met a group. At official level, the joint Foreign Office-DFID Sudan Unit holds regular meetings in London with the Sudan Lobby Group, a group of UK and Sudanese NGOs.
	In Sudan itself, DFID staff undertake regular visits to Darfur to visit NGO partners and discuss their work. DFID Sudan also holds quarterly meetings with all NGO partners and ad hoc bilateral meetings with NGOs.
	NGOs play an immensely important role in delivery aid to Darfur. DFID supports the work of NGOs through funding and advocacy, to help ensure they can operate effectively in the very difficult conditions of Darfur.

Sudan

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much humanitarian aid was allocated to Darfur in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: In 2005-06, the last year for which figures are available, DFID spent nearly £38 millionon humanitarian assistance to Darfur. This was channelled through NGOs, UN agencies and the International Committee for the Red Cross. This was the second largest bilateral contribution to the relief effort in Darfur after that of the US.

Sudan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the comments by the leadership of the UN Mission in the Sudan that humanitarian agencies may have to scale back their operations in north Darfur as a result of the situation in Sudan.

Hilary Benn: Over the last seven months, fighting in north Darfur has had a severe impact on the ability of humanitarian agencies to access those in need. In some areas, the security situation makes it too dangerous for the UN and NGOs to operate, leaving many people without food aid.
	In the last few months, fighting and attacks on humanitarian agencies have led to the evacuation of international staff and the suspension of their operations in a number of locations in north Darfur. The very recent clashes in El-Fasher, the state capital, has further exacerbated the situation, forcing the temporary relocation of 134 international agency staff from a total of around 330. The insecurity has restricted access to camps for displaced people around El-Fasher, and has also limited the ability of agencies to service the few remaining sub-offices they have in other parts of north Darfur.
	Where feasible, humanitarian agencies are trying to maintain operations using local staff and volunteers, accessing areas when the security situation allows. The UN agencies and NGOs involved are operating in exceedingly challenging circumstances and at great personal risk, and we commend their continuing efforts to support those in need.

Tetanus

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) bilateral and  (b) multilateral funding was provided by the UK to tackle tetanus in the developing world in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Tetanus spores enter the body viadeep wounds. In addition to wounds caused by accidents, mothers are susceptible to tetanus infection immediately following childbirth. Similarly, new born babies are at risk of tetanus infection where a non-sterile instrument is used to cut the umbilical cord (for example an un-trained traditional birth attendant using a piece of bamboo) and where traditional practices involve placing unclean "dressing's" over the exposed area (such as dried and powdered cow dung used to help dry the cord in parts of South Asia). Without urgent treatment tetanus is fatal, causing an estimated 200,000 newborn child deaths a year.
	Tetanus is preventable through good hygiene and vaccination. The tetanus toxoid (TT) injection is part of a package of immunisation given to children under five and to pregnant women. Children have three doses of TT which is typically administered in the same syringe as diphtheria and whooping cough (pertussis), and given at the same time as polio immunisation (drops on the tongue). As in the UK, this is known as 'DPT and polio'. Because preventing tetanus is an integral part of overall immunisation policy and practice, DFID funding for tetanus immunisation in developing countries is contained within our overall spending on immunisation for children and pregnant women and cannot be separated out.
	DFID works to support developing countries efforts to strengthen the health services through which immunisation is provided. In 2005-06 DFID provided £453.1 million as direct support to health. DFID also provided £12.5 million core support to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and £19 million to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in 2005-06. Both WHO and UNICEF are key global actors in vaccine preventable diseases.
	In addition, DFID supports the work of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) to introduce new vaccines (such as hepatitis B and haemophilius influenza) into country immunisation schedules. In some cases these new vaccines are administered in combination with diptheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT). In these cases, GAVI also supports tetanus immunisation. In some of the world's poorest countries, GAVI provides support to improve the health systems which deliver immunisation and this support has recently been linked to improvements in the rates of DPT immunisation coverage in these countries. DFID has contributed over £43 million to GAVI since 2000.
	The UK is also committed to developing innovative financing mechanisms such as the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFm) which was launched in September 2005. So far this has raised US $1 billion which will be channelled through GAVI, allowing a significant scaling-up of their immunisation work. The UK has committed a total of £1.38 billion for IFFm over the next 20 years.
	The European Commission and World Bank are also major recipients of UK multilateral aid. They both provide substantial support to improve health services in developing countries. Budget support and sector specific programmes help finance the implementation of immunisation programmes including those which combat tetanus.

Uganda

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid was given to Uganda by his Department in 2005-06.

Hilary Benn: DFID Bilateral Aid to Uganda inthe fiscal year 2005-06 was £72.1 million of which£32 million was in the form of financial aid. The full breakdown of Bilateral Aid is published in Table 12.1 of "Statistics on International Development 2001-02 to 2005-06," a copy of which is available in the Library.
	In addition the UK imputed shares of Multilateral Expenditure to Uganda was £21.7 million in 2004 which is the last year for which data is available.
	The term financial aid covers poverty reduction budget support and projects and programmes including sector wide approaches. Bilateral expenditure not included within financial aid includes technical co-operation, grants and other aid in kind, humanitarian assistance and debt relief.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid his Department gave to Zimbabwe in 2005-06.

Hilary Benn: DFID bilateral aid to Zimbabwe inthe fiscal year 2005-06 was £34.1 million of which£1.6 million was in the form of other financial aid. This related to the procurement of condoms for HIV prevention, by Crown Agents on behalf of the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council. No UK funds were provided directly to the government of Zimbabwe.
	For statistical reporting purposes, the term financial aid covers poverty reduction budget support and other projects and programmes. A full breakdown of bilateral aid for Zimbabwe is published in table 12.1 of 'Statistics on International Development 2001-02 to 2005-06', a copy of which is available in the Library.

Zimbabwe

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of refugee flows from Zimbabwe upon South Africa.

Hilary Benn: Neither official nor complete figures are available, but credible sources estimate that there up to two million Zimbabweans living in South Africa, perhaps more.
	In Zimbabwe, DFID recently contributed £5 million to the work of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). IOM run a reception centre at Beitbridge which provides humanitarian assistance to Zimbabweans, many of whom are destitute, who are deported from South Africa at the rate of around4,000 per week.
	One of the critical challenges facing Africa is how to harness the potential of internal and international migration in the interests of development. DFID is supporting the work of various organisations in southern Africa who are investigating migration and its effects across the SADC region, including in Zimbabwe. The Southern African Migration Project (SAMP) is one of these. SAMP is an international network of organizations founded in 1996 to promote awareness of migration-development linkages in SADC. SAMP conducts applied research on migration and development issues, provides policy advice and expertise, offers training in migration policy and management, and conducts public education campaigns on migration-related issues. More information about SAMP's work can be found at:
	www.queensu.ca/samp

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Bob Spink: To ask the Solicitor-General what projects for minority groups the Crown Prosecution Service financially supported in the last two years; and what funding is planned in 2006-07.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has supported a number of projects working with minority groups in the last two years.In 2004-05 the CPS supported the White Ribbons Charity to raise awareness of Domestic Violence and Stonewall's work on lesbian and gay equality in the work place. This amounted to £1,022 in financial support. In 2005-06, the CPS supported the Runnymede Trust project to prevent racist violence; Stonewall's work on lesbian and gay equality in the work place; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month highlighting minority experiences in the criminal justice system; and the Race in the Media Awards project sponsored by the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE). This amounted to £10,817 in financial support.
	In the current year, 2006-07, the CPS has financially supported or is supporting RADAR, the disabilities publication; Race in the Media Awards sponsored by the CRE; Stonewall's work on lesbian and gay equality in the work place; and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month again highlighting minority experiences in the CJS. This amounts to £6,260 in financial support in 2006-07.

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Solicitor-General how much the Law Officers' Departments spent on statistics relating to their work in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: I am answering this question in relation to all my Departments. There is no definition of the term "statistics relating to the work of the Department" and no centrally held information on either the volume or costs of statistics published each year on this basis.
	Estimates for the annual costs of National Statistics are contained in the relevant National Statistics Annual Report and Accounts, which are available on the National Statistics website:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vInk=1051
	Copies are also available in the House Library for the reference of Members.
	The last year these were produced was 2004-05.

DEFENCE

Administration Costs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the cost of administration of the  (a) agencies and  (b) trading funds within his responsibility.

Derek Twigg: Details of the costs of the MOD's agencies and trading funds can be found in their annual reports and accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Afghanistan

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of military resources available to British troops in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The force package we deployed to Afghanistan was designed by the military and endorsed by the chiefs of staff. We continue to keep force levels under constant review to ensure our commanders on the ground have the tools that they need to complete their mission.

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals among those killed by British forces in Afghanistan over the past 12 months were  (a) militants and  (b) civilians.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2013, to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn).

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for the financial year 2005-06 the MoD Police spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency spent the following amounts in Scotland in 2004-05 and 2005-06:
	
		
			   £ million  Percentage of total personnel budget 
			 2004-05 34.247 25 
			 2005-06 36.888 23

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by the Defence Housing Executive; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are expected to be in 2006-07; and what they were in 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: The Defence Housing Executive (DHE) formally ceased to be a Defence agency on1 April 2004 and was merged with Defence Estates from that date. There are therefore no details of employees/personnel costs relating to DHE for 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for 2005-06 the Defence Bills Agency spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Defence Bills Agency did not spend any of its personnel budget in Scotland in either 2004-05 or 2005-06. The Agency did not employ any staff in Scotland in either of these financial years.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by  (a) the RAF Personnel Manning Agency and  (b) the RAF Training Group Defence Agency; how many are employed by each agency in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agencies are expected to be in 2006-07; and what they were in 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: The RAF Personnel Manning Agency (PMA) formally ceased to be a Defence agency on1 April 2005. There are therefore no details of employees/personnel costs relating to PMA for 2005-06 and 2006-07.
	The RAF Training Group Defence Agency (TGDA) formally ceased to be a Defence Agency on 1 April 2006. There are therefore no details of employees/personnel costs relating to TGDA for 2006-07, but the personnel costs for 2005-06 were £321.7million.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for 2005-06 the Disposal Services Agency spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The figures requested are as follows:
	
		
			  Personnel costs for DSA staff based in Scotland 
			   Amount (£000)  Percentage 
			 2004-05 148.8 5.1 
			 2005-06 193.9 4.3 
		
	
	These figures do not include travel and subsistence costs.

Agency Personnel: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for 2005-06 the Warship Support Agency spent in Scotland in  (a) monetary terms and  (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget; how much was spent for each category in 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Warship Support Agency was disestablished in 2005 and its activities have since been subsumed into the Defence Logistics Organisation. Personnel costs for 2004-05 are available in the Agency's annual report and accounts for that financial year; copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Aircraft

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the  (a) performance and  (b) operational reliability of Tristar aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force.

Adam Ingram: The Tristar aircraft plays a vital part in the worldwide transport of troops and equipment as well as undertaking air to air refuelling tasks. It has helped to contribute to 80 per cent. of all flights to and from Afghanistan and Iraq being achieved on time and a 42 per cent. increase between April to December on the number of passengers flown by the RAF in the same period last year.
	Operational reliability is assessed by the numbers of aircraft that are deemed as fit for purpose (FFP) against the planned average FFP figure. Aircraft are deemed fit for purpose if they are capable of undertaking the required task on a given day. Aircraft are not available for tasking if they are undergoing scheduled maintenance, modification programmes or any unforeseen rectification work that can arise on a day to day basis. The figures do not reflect the fact that an aircraft assessed as not fit for purpose may be returned to the front line at very short notice to meet the operational need. The planned average FFP for the Tristar aircraft for 2006-07 is 4.8 aircraft per day. We have so far achieved a FFP figure of 4.75 aircraft per day for the same period.

Armed Forces' Leave

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 354-5W, on armed forces' leave, if he will ask the Defence Analytical Services Agency to distinguish in its survey estimates between leave which personnel were not able to take and that which they chose not to take.

Derek Twigg: The Survey of Leave 2005-06 does not distinguish between leave lost for service reasons and leave lost because it is carried forward to the following year. The local administrative systems do not record this difference, and the information is therefore not held.

Army Strength

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition is used by his Department of trained strength in the context of army personnel.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 370W.

Consultancy

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which 10 consultancy fees charged to his Department since May 1997 were the most expensive.

Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from members of the  (a) armed forces and  (b) general public on the exemption of members of the armed forces serving overseas from paying council tax; and what discussions he has had with the armed forces on that exemption.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has received a number of representations from both members of the armed forces and the general public about service personnel who continue to pay council tax while serving abroad. I am aware of the concerns expressed by service personnel and I refer my hon. Friend to my answer given on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1446W.

Departmental Energy Policy

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to make his Department carbon neutral.

Derek Twigg: In line with the new sustainable operations targets for the Government estate announced on 12 June by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (David Miliband), the MOD is committed to the target of a carbon neutral central Government office estate by 2012.

Departmental Finance

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

Adam Ingram: The table provides information extracted from the Defence Bills Agency (DBA) database(1) covering payments made to DHL from1 April 1997 to 31 March 2006.
	(1) The central database details payments to MOD contractors but excludes locally-held accounts in the Department (which handle less than 5 per cent. of payments); contracts placed on behalfof other Government Departments; joint venture/alliance contracts; contracts placed through collaborative projects such as the Typhoon/Eurofighter and those awarded by MOD's trading fund agencies.
	
		
			  Financial year  Payments (£) 
			 1997-98 10,711 
			 1998-99 10,366 
			 1999-2000 19,067 
			 2000-01 24,053 
			 2001-02 14,443 
			 2002-03 15,803 
			 2003-04 17,868 
			 2004-05 14,659 
			 2005-06 17,778 
			 Total 144,748

Departmental IT

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of his Department's  (a) computer data and  (b) computer backup data is stored with online data storage providers.

Adam Ingram: No. The MOD does not use online data storage providers to store computer data or backup computer data.

Departmental IT

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of his Department's  (a) computer data and  (b) computer backup data is stored outside the United Kingdom.

Adam Ingram: Yes, however, all data, within the UK and overseas, is held on the MOD'S own systems.

Departmental IT

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which information technology projects are being undertaken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies; what the (i) start date, (ii) original planned completion date, (iii) expected completion date, (iv) originally planned costs and (v) estimated costs are of each; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1462W.

Departmental Staff: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what manning changes there were in his Department's staff in Scotland in each quarter since 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Service figures for the Department and Scotland are published in Tri Service Publication 10 (TSP10). TSP10 is a quarterly publication. Editions from July 2004 to July 2006 are available in the Library of the House and at www.dasa.mod.uk

Faslane

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will list the functions carried out by the Faslane naval base;
	(2)  if he will list the functions carried out by RNAD Coulport.

Derek Twigg: HM Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde is mainly comprised of the sites at Faslane and RNAD Coulport, but also includes some small satellite sites. It is home to the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear deterrent and the headquarters of the Royal Navy in Scotland.
	The functions carried out by Faslane are as follows:
	operational support and maintenance to the ships and submarines of the Faslane Flotilla and their crews;
	operational support and maintenance to visiting Royal Navy (RN) and foreign vessels and their crews;
	support to the Strategic Weapon programme;
	provision of training and training facilities for submarine and Minewarfare and Patrol Vessel personnel;
	provision of support to units within the Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland area, including RN Reserves and University RN Unit;
	provision of support to Trident Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear (submarines) at Cape Canaveral and King's Bay in the USA and other Strategic Weapon System operations;
	provision of personnel, engineering, waterfront and administrative support to Operational Commanders; and
	provision of support to Flag Officer Sea Training (Faslane), Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines, Northern Diving Group and other lodger units within the Base.
	The functions carried out by RNAD Coulport are as follows:
	storage of components of the UK's nuclear weapon system;
	processing of nuclear warheads as required prior to delivery to and on return from the Fleet;
	fitting and removal of nuclear warheads to Vanguard Class submarines;
	onload and offload of Trident II D5 missiles as required, including deployment of teams to the US when missiles first embarked or returned to US;
	maintenance of all associated Strategic Weapon System equipment;
	delivery and receipt of conventional weapons to and from Vanguard, Swiftsure and Trafalgar class submarines;
	provision of security for the above; and
	provision of on and off site Emergency Response Teams.
	Further information on the functions of HMNB Clyde is available on the internet at www.royal-navy.mod.uk.

Flying Hours

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average flying hours have been of pilots for each helicopter type in the Army Air Corps in each month in 2006.

Derek Twigg: The average number of flying hours of Army Air Corps crews in military helicopters operated by the Joint Helicopter Command for each complete month of 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  2006  Apache  Gazelle  Lynx 
			 January 21 17 18 
			 February 10 18 16 
			 March 27 28 19 
			 April 6 16 13 
			 May 29 19 21 
			 June 32 24 18 
			 July 19 25 18 
			 August 19 11 16 
			 September 29 13 21 
			 October 15 13 21 
		
	
	The helicopters listed are all crewed by a team of people and cannot be flown by one pilot. The figures represent the total number of crew flying hours completed each month for each type of helicopter, divided by the number of crews of each respective helicopter cadre that were available for flying duties in the same period. The figures include all operational flying, but exclude flying hours flown by crews at the School of Army Aviation to avoid distorting the averages.

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally or in a consistent form. However, it may be possible to extract some of the required information for financial years 2001-02 to 2004-05.
	I will write to the hon. Member once this has been established and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq and Afghanistan: (Military Casualties)

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK military service personnel have been wounded and  (a) returned to duty and  (b) not returned to duty in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan since the commencement of operations.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The Ministry of Defence publishes data on battle and non-battle casualties that have resulted from our operations in Iraq from March 2003 and Afghanistan from 1 January 2006. The best centrally available casualty statistics can be found on the Ministry of Defence website (http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets). Work is continuing to ascertain whether casualty data for Afghanistan pre-2006 is sufficiently robust to enable figures to be published in the same format as those for Iraq.
	Statistics on how many service personnel have returned to, or not returned to duty following injury are not held centrally. However, the Department is examining this as part of the process of refining its casualty data, which may take some months. When it is complete, I will write to the hon. Member with the answer he has requested and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Kinetic Military Technology

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to ensure that kinetic military technology is developed through the Defence Industrial Strategy.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 11 December 2006
	The recently published Defence Technology Strategy identifies the design, development and manufactureof kinetic energy projectiles among the priority technologies for general munitions.

Lyons Review

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many jobs in his Department have been relocated  (a) to Liverpool and  (b) elsewhere as a result of the Lyons Review; and on how many occasions Liverpool has been considered for the relocation of staff under this programme.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence is committed to relocate 3,900 posts out of London and the south-east by 2010, and is on schedule to meet this target. As stated in the 2005-06 Annual Report and Accounts, 1,229 posts had been relocated as a result of the Lyons review by the end of the 2005-06 financial year. This information will be updated in the 2006 Autumn Performance Report. None of these posts were relocated to Liverpool.
	Liverpool has not been considered as a site option for any relocations as a result of the Lyons Review. Options for relocations are generated by a search of the existing Defence Estate based on the individual requirements of each relocation and, to date, the Defence Estate's sites in Liverpool have not met the requirements for any of the relocation exercises.

Mental Health

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies his Department has  (a) commissioned,  (b) funded and  (c) undertaken in the past five years into the mental health needs of service personnel and veterans; and how many service personnel and veterans have such needs.

Derek Twigg: The most significant recent studies relating to mental health are:
	A major research study into the physical and psychological health of personnel who were deployed to Iraq on Operation Telic is being conducted by King's College London. This work began in 2003 and entered its second three-year phase in September 2006. The first two scientific papers resulting from this work were published in May 2006 and showed that there had been no substantial increase in symptomatic ill health among regular personnel from participation in the operation. There was evidence for a small though statistically significant mental health effect among reserve personnel, however, and changes in the provision of mental healthcare for reservists have been made to address this issue.
	An independent charity, the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (HASCAS), was commissioned by the MOD to review the mental healthcare available to UK veterans and further work is now underway to take forward the HASCAS recommendations.
	The Department is funding a one-year study bythe Centre for Suicide Prevention and National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness at the University of Manchester. The purpose of this work is to determine the rates of suicide among UK veterans and to compare them with rates among serving personnel and in the general population. The study began in June 2006.
	A compendium of Defence medical research has been maintained since 2004. The following table shows those mental health studies that have appeared within the compendium. Where an item has appeared more than once in different versions, only the most up-to-date entry has been included. The compendium includes personal degree research as well as studies commissioned departmentally.
	
		
			  Title of study  Status of report  Expected date of completion  Comment 
			 Deliberate Self-harm Survey Withdrawn — Unable to repeat earlier study iaw Data Protection Act 1998 
			 Community Mental Health Nursing — August 2006 BSc(Hons) Community Mental Health Nursing 
			 Mental Health Nursing — August 2006 BSc(Hons) Mental Health Nursing 
			 Mental Health Nursing — December 2010 PhD 
			 Physical and psychological health of personnel deployed on Op TELIC Complete Autumn 2006 Funded by Treasury Contingency Fund (TCF) 
			 TELIC—Civilian Health Study Under way September 2006 Funded by TCF 
			 Delayed-onset Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Ongoing October 2007 — 
			 Accompanied and Unaccompanied Personnel Stress Survey Preparation for submission to ethics committee 2008 — 
			 Psychological Effects of Chemical Weapons: The Impact of World War One Current End 2007 Funded in part by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) 
			 Cohort Study of Stress in the Naval Service Protocol about to be submitted January 2012 — 
			 High Risk Behaviours After Operational Deployments (Op TELIC) Current Late 2006 — 
			 RCT to Evaluate RM Trauma Management Programme (TRiM) in the RN Current Mid 2007 Funded by Research Acquisition Organisation (RAO) 
			 Post-Operational Psychological Disorder: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Help Seeking Behaviour Current August 2007 — 
			 Reviews of Military Mental Health Care, Screening, Debriefing and Treatment of PTSD Current Ongoing — 
			 Evaluation of Internet-based Therapy for Traumatic Stress In planning — — 
			 Psychological and Behavioural Responses to tie London Bombs Current Completed Funded by Home Office 
			 Psychological Impact of peacekeeping Operations on UK Military Personnel Current August 2007 — 
			 Attitudinal changes towards stress in TRiM trained personnel Data Analysis 2006 Part of DClinPsych Degree 
			 A study to examine the effectiveness of pre- and post-deployment mental health briefings on the mental health of UK forces before, during and after deployment to Afghanistan (OpHerrick) Data collection commencing September 2006 End 2008 — 
			 Use of Computer-Based Treatment (CBT) for Depression Protocol submitted 2006 — 
			 Health and Wellbeing of UK Armed Forces Personnel Deployed on Op TELIC Completed Autumn 2006 — 
			 RCT to Evaluate RM Trauma Management Programme (TRiM) in the RN Current Mid 2007 — 
			 Social and Psychological Dysfunction in an Military corrective training centre Current Current — 
			 Stigma and the military: evaluation of psycho educational programme to effect cultural change in the Naval Service Data analysis Completed Part of DClinPsych Degree 
			 An Investigation into the Practice of Mental Healthcare during Operational Deployments: Psychosocial Implications for Military Mental Health Professionals Completed July 2006 Completed Funded by NHS 
			 Suicide in personnel who lave left the UK Armed Forces Under way July 2007 — 
			 Audit of Uniform within departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs)/Clinicians — June 2006 — 
			 Audit of Uniform within DCMHs Current December 2006 — 
			 A study of suicides during Op Banner 1969-2007 Current 2007 Completion after Op Banner completion 
			 Audit of mental health need: Home service Royal Irish disbandment Current August 2007 — 
			 Pre-operational Stress Briefing—Does it have any effect? Data acquisition 2008 — 
			 Post-discharge Mentoring of Vulnerable Service Leavers Data collection September 2004-August 05 November 2006 — 
			 Psychology of Addiction — December 2005 Diploma in Addictions Counselling 
			 Prevention of Suicide and Self-harm Among Army Personnel Draft final report prepared — Funded by Dept of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College 
			 Pre-Service Vulnerability Factors and Physical/Psychological Adaptation to Service Life Current August 2006 — 
			 Study to Investigate Levels of Psychological Problems in Soldiers Following an Emergency Operational Deployment Completed Awaiting publication — 
			 Psychosis in the British Military; a Follow-up Study Awaiting ethical approval 2005 — 
			 Mental Health — September 2006 BSc Community Mental Health 
			 Managing Stress Amongst Military Personnel Following deployment — 31 August 2005 BMedSc Occ Health 
			 Minor Mental Illness Following Gulf War 2 Completed—awaiting publication — — 
			 Longitudinal Studies of the Psychological Effects of Operational Deployments Ongoing — — 
			 Study into Self-Harm Ongoing March 2005 — 
			 Alcohol Use in the British Army Data collection March- May 2005 July 2005 Funded by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) 
			 Alcohol Culture in the Army Current August 2006 Funded by JRF 
			 Epidemiology of Mental Disorders in the Three Services Planned tba — 
			 Evaluation of a mental health Risk Assessment Tool in Op TELIC Planned tba — 
			 Psychiatric Pre and Post Deployment Screening Op TELIC Ongoing Autumn 2004 — 
			 Married persons stress study Protocol 2004-05 — 
			 Psychiatric Morbidity amongst RCDM personnel—an observational study Internal Study Summer 2004 — 
			 Study of physical and psychological health (Op TELIC) Ongoing December 2004 (Phase II) — 
			 Demographic Review of Reservist Psychiatric Casevac Op TELIC 1 Ongoing February 2004 — 
			 Qualitative study to identify precipitating factors in soldiers who have deliberated self harmed Bid submitted FY 2004-05 — 
			 Grief reactions of military critical care nurses to patient death. — n/k MSc Nursing 
		
	
	The research by King's College to gain further understanding of the extent of mental health problems encountered by those who have served on Op Telic showed the relation between mental health outcomes and deployment, stratified by regular/reservist status, to be as follows:
	
		
			   Common mental disorder (GHQ-12)  PTSD (PCL-C) 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  Reservists 
			 Era(1) 128/787 16 22/780 3 
			 Telic 1 206/782 26 46/766 6 
			  
			  Regulars 
			 Era(1) 943/4,694 20.1 171/4,676 3.7 
			 Telic 1 747/3,849 19 155/3,847 4 
			 (1) UK service personnel serving in the armed forces on 31 March 2003, but not in the Telic 1 group. 
		
	
	The results of this research show the numbers who have self-reported indicators of mental ill-health. It does not mean that these individuals are severely ill, nor would necessarily regard themselves as being in need of treatment. Also, while more of those reservists who served in Iraq reach the indicator threshold than those who did not serve in Iraq, this should be looked at in the context of the general adult UK population where the same level of indicators of common mental illness have been detected in over 30 per cent.

Military Parachutists

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had on providing  (a) individual radios and  (b) radio frequencies for military parachutists.

Adam Ingram: The department is currently investigating the feasibility of radio use for the transmission of routine information during parachute jump training. However no decision on suitability has yet been made.
	There have been preliminary discussions on compatible radio bands for military parachutists as part of the investigation into the feasibility of radio use.

Military Vehicles

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many breakdowns there were in the military Land Rover fleet in each year since 1997; and what the average age of the fleet was in each year.

Adam Ingram: The information requested on the number of breakdowns and the average age of the Land Rover fleet in each year since 1997 is not available, as this information is not collected.

Naval Bases

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the strategic risks to the Royal Navy of future dependence on a single naval base in  (a) Scotland and  (b) England, with particular reference to the co-location of nuclear facilities and munitions stores.

Adam Ingram: The Naval Base Review is considering a number of options ranging from 'do nothing' to closing all three naval bases and building a new naval base at a single location. The review team is undertaking an extensive analysis of the operational implications, including strategic risks, associated with all the options under consideration. Recommendations are not expected to be put to Ministers before spring 2007.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are times when more than one Trident submarine is on deterrent patrol; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to the statement at Box 2-1 of the White Paper on the future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent (Command 6994), published on 4 December 2006, that:
	"Normally, only one Trident submarine is on deterrent patrol at any one time".

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the implications are for the number of deployed warheads of the announcement in the White Paper CM6994 that the stockpile of operationally available warheads will be reduced from 200 to 160; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: As set out in Box 2-1 of the White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006, normally only one Trident submarine is on deterrent patrol at any one time, with up to 48 warheads on board.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether each Trident submarine is deployed with a sub-strategic capability; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to paragraph 4-9 of the White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994), which was published on 4 December 2006.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to carry out an upgrade and refurbishment of the Trident warhead in the next five years.

Des Browne: We occasionally replace components of our nuclear warheads, if and when they become obsolete, but we have no plans to upgrade or refurbish our Trident warhead stockpile in the next five years. As was made clear in the White Paper on the Future ofthe UK's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994), published on4 December 2006 (at paragraph 7-4), decisions on whether and how we may need to refurbish or replace the warhead stockpile are likely to be necessary in the next Parliament.

Nuclear Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he plans to make in  (a) the number of nuclear warheads carried on the submarine on patrol,  (b) the total number of nuclear warheads deployed at sea on three submarines and  (c) the number of operationally available warheads which are stored on land when three submarines are fully armed.

Des Browne: I have nothing further to add to paragraphs 2-3 and 4-9 and Box 2-1 of the White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994), published on 4 December 2006.

UK Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the United Kingdom's nuclear doctrine includes a sub-strategic element; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Government's policy with regard to the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent was set out clearly in the White Paper "The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent" (Cm 6994), which was published on 4 December 2006. The White Paper (paragraph 3-4) makes clear that
	"the UK's nuclear weapons are not designed for military use during conflict but instead to deter and prevent nuclear blackmail and acts of aggression against our vital interests that cannot be countered by other means".
	We would only consider using nuclear weapons in self-defence (including of our NATO allies) and even then only in extreme circumstances. Any use of our nuclear weapons which may be contemplated would necessarily be "strategic".

UK Nuclear Weapons

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much is planned to be spent on the public consultation on the future of the UK nuclear deterrent; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Government published a White Paper on the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent on4 December. We have repeatedly said that there will be the fullest possible debate and a vote in the House. The publication of the White Paper is expected to cost £8,000.

Phase 2 Training

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many trainers will deliver Phase 2 training; and what the trainer student ratio will be in  (a) five years,  (b) 10 years and  (c) 15 years time;
	(2)  what percentage of Phase 2 skills training for the armed forces is delivered by  (a) serving military personnel,  (b) ex-military personnel and  (c) others;
	(3)  how many military trainers for Phase 2 skills training for the armed forces are deployed in  (a) Scotland,  (b) South Wales,  (c) West Midlands and  (d) South East England;
	(4)  what the current trainer to trainee ratios are for Phase 2 skills training for the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: The future Phase 2 supervisory requirement will depend on how training is to be delivered. Defence is constantly seeking to modernise the delivery of training taking into account options of distributed training, E learning and simulated training. Improved learning methodology may also determine how training will be delivered in the future. Future student to instructor ratios in 5, 10 and 15 years time will be determined by the nature of the activity being undertaken and therefore it is not possible to anticipate what these will be. However, in seeking to partner with industry to develop innovative training solutions, the Defence Training Review programme includes the following requirement: In Phase 2 there must be sufficient military instructors so that at least 40 per cent. of the class contact time (combining specialist and non specialist training) is with military instructors, and a minimum of 25 per cent. of the specialist training programmed periods must be taught by a military instructor.
	Data on geographic dispersal or the percentage of Phase 2 skills training delivered by military, ex-military and contracted instructors are not routinely held by the services and MOD does not have access to information on the background of contracted staff.
	Earlier this year the MOD revised its supervisory care policy in order to focus attention on reducingthe risks to trainees. The policy mandates the determination of a supervisory care directive, underpinned by a Unit Commander's Risk Assessment. The policy mandates that minimum levels of supervision are determined from the Unit Commander's Risk Assessment and must be articulated against the relevant serials during the working day, out of hours, weekend and leave periods. The supervisory provision will change throughout the day and night dependent on the activities being undertaken. For example, in the classroom environment one instructor might supervise up to 30 trainees but this ratio could reduce to 1:4 for a higher risk activity or for practical reasons and down to 1:1 for flying training. While average weekday ratios are no longer centrally collated, training establishments are subject to audit and evaluation of their supervisory care regimes and implementation of the supervisory policy.
	The implementation of supervisory policy is subject to audit and evaluation by service and defence teams and additionally the duty of care and welfare provision is currently subject to external inspection by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI). The ALI is currently engaged in conducting a series of visits to training establishments.

Public Opinion Research

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: We want to hear what people have to say about defence activities and policies and we carry out occasional public opinion research to this end.The research is subject to the usual strict rules that spending must represent good value for the tax payer and must not be used for party political purposes. Information on the total cost of public opinion research carried out by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the cost of research sponsored from within the central media and communications division, which surveys public opinion on major defence issues, in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  £000 
			 2001-02 82 
			 2002-03 25 
			 2003-04 131 
			 2004-05 145 
			 2005-06 253 
			  Note: These costs are inclusive of VAT

Recruitment Advertising

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years.

Derek Twigg: The information for the armed forces is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  £ million 
			 2003-04 16.63 
			 2004-05 26.16 
			 2005-06 29.20 
		
	
	Civilian staff are recruited locally and the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Remembrance Day

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will return the Padre's flag to the Grave of the Unknown Soldier for next year's Remembrance day.

Derek Twigg: The positioning of the Padre's flag is a matter for Westminster Abbey, as the guardian of this treasured memorial. I have been advised that to reposition the flag above the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior would cause it irrevocable damage due to the considerable movement of air in the Nave and the ultra-violet light that floods through the West Door. Westminster Abbey intend to keep it in St. George's Chapel, which is as close as practicable to the Tomb.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Marsden) of4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-190W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992.

Derek Twigg: Prior to 1 April 2006 the retirement age for civil servants in the MOD below the senior civil service (SCS) was determined by grade and ranged between age 60 and 65. With effect from 1 April 2006 and following a Departmental review the normal retirement age (NRA) was changed to age 65 for all MOD civil servants below the SCS. This is in linewith the National Default retirement age introduced on 1 October 2006.
	Any further change to the MOD's NRA policy would be made after consultation with the Trades Unions and take into account the Department's business need at that time.

Separated Service Guidelines

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel in the  (a) Navy,  (b) Army and  (c) Air Force exceeded guidelines for separated service in each year since 2001; and what assessment he has made of trends in those numbers over that period.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 7 December 2006
	Separated service is recorded as an average percentage of the total trained strength. Separated service has only been recorded for all three services since 2002. Set out in the following table is separated service figures for each service since then.
	
		
			  Percentage of total personnel who have breached individual harmony 
			  Year and quarter  Royal Navy  Army  Royal Air Force 
			  2002-03
			 Q1 <1 No record 5.3 
			 Q2 <1 No record 5.4 
			 Q3 <1 No record 5.1 
			 Q4 <1 No record 5.0 
			 
			  2003-04
			 Q1 <1 No record 6.8 
			 Q2 <1 No record 6.2 
			 Q3 <1 No record 6.2 
			 Q4 <1 18.1 5.4 
			 
			  2004-05
			 Q1 <1 17.0 3.6 
			 Q2 <1 16.8 3.8 
			 Q3 <1 15.5 3.6 
			 Q4 <1 15.5 3.9 
			 
			  2005-06
			 Q1 <1 15.6 4.1 
			 Q2 <1 15.3 4.1 
			 Q3 <1 15.1 4.2 
			 Q4 <1 14.5 3.9 
			 
			 2006-07
			 Q1 <1 14.0 2.9 
			 Q2 <1 14.0 1.7 
		
	
	In line with Second Sea Lord's personal functional standards, harmony breaches for the Royal Navy are minimal; the RAF's latest figure puts harmony within target and although the Army's separated service figures breach harmony, the percentage has been gradually reducing as future army structure and Northern Ireland normalisation have taken effect.

Service Education Allowances

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of service education allowances in 2006-07; and what estimates he has made of the cost in future.

Derek Twigg: The estimated cost of Service education allowances for academic year 2006-07 is £100 million. The Department is currently planning expenditure for financial years 2007-08 to 2010-11 and has not finalised our estimated costs for Service education allowances. The final estimates will take into account inflation and any increases in school fees.

Service Education Allowances

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in service education allowances between 2001-02 and 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The annual increase in the rate of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) is based on the average cost of fees at those schools with at least30 pupils from Service families. Between 2001-02 and 2005-06, school fee increases have been higher than inflation. Over the same period, the number of Service children benefiting from the allowance rose from 7,130 in 2001-02 to 8,029 in 2004-05, before declining to 7,886 in 2005-06. This accounts for the increase in cost of Continuity of Education Allowance between 2001 and 2006.

Service Education Allowances

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reason is for the difference between the figure for the number of service children covered by continuity of education allowance in the spring term at 2004-05 given in the answer of 6 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 801-02W, on boarding school allowance, and that given in a Freedom of Information request dated 1 September 2005, reference 25-08-2005-090717-002.

Derek Twigg: In September 2005, in response to the Freedom of Information request (reference 25-08-2005-090717-002) it was reported that the number of children benefiting from service education allowances in the spring term 2004-05 was 7,914. However, in response to a written question on 6 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 801-02W, it was reported that some 8,029 children benefited from such allowances in spring term 2004-05, a difference of 115. This was due to the availability of more accurate figures in June 2006, following the Royal Air Force's transition to Joint Personnel Administration in April 2006. These figures, along with others, were used to advise the House of Commons Defence Select Committee for their report 'Educating Service Children', published on 11 July 2006.

Special Forces Training: (Medical Services)

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what medical services are available to those taking part in the special forces basic parachute training course; and what changes to such services have been made in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: The medical services provided in support of all military trainees undertaking basic parachute courses currently include a Trauma Management Vehicle and two medical assistants provided by RAF Brize Norton medical centre. The level of provision has increased from one to two medical assistants in the past 12 months. Agreement has also been reached with the Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust regarding the onward transport of casualties using civilian paramedic ambulances.

Sponsored Students

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 112W, on sponsored students, why the cost of Navy cadetships for the first half of 2006-07 is not yet known.

Derek Twigg: The naval service provides university cadetships in-service degrees for officers. These personnel have already been recruited and are in-service while undertaking their studies. The cost of normal cadetships was not originally provided because cadets have already been recruited. The tuition fees for the two Naval Service Cadetships for 2006-07 are £12,000.

Telecommunications Masts

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mobile phone masts have been placed in Territorial Army barracks; what funds have been received in recompense; and what use has been made of those funds.

Derek Twigg: There are a total of 77 mobile phone masts across 57 Territorial Army establishments within the United Kingdom. The revenue generated from these masts during financial year 2005-06 is in the region of £486,000. It is not possible to provide exact details of what use has been made of these funds as this information is not held centrally. However, the income generated is spent in accordance with HM Treasury guidance and the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association regulations. A large proportion of the recompense is reinvested for the benefit of our reserves and cadets.

Territorial Army

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on the Territorial Army in the last period for which figures are available; and what percentage that figure represents of total defence spending in that period.

Derek Twigg: Information on how much is spent on the Territorial Army is not held centrally.
	Costs are spread over a variety of budgets and these will vary according to the composition of the units, their role and where they are deployed. These details could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Thermal Imaging Equipment

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reconsider the scale of issue of (a) thermal imaging sights,  (b) thermal imaging equipment and  (c) any subsequent equipment procured; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Thermal imaging sights and equipment are issued to fulfil a particular operational or training requirement, where in turn they are controlled and prioritised by operational commanders. This requirement will alter depending on the scale of commitment, the environment and available technology. To stay abreast of changes in these areas, as with all equipment, the MOD carries out regular reviews of scales, as well as reacting to new requests from commanders.
	The most recent and ongoing review was initiated this Summer, and has already reallocated available thermal imaging capability, in appropriate quantities, across operational and training commitments to meet the latest circumstances. Furthermore, new sights and equipment have been ordered from industry to ensure that the latest technology is afforded to our troops.I also refer the hon. Member to my reply of12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 934W.

Warships

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strategic basis was for reducing the total of destroyers and frigates in the Fleet to 25.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the White Paper "Delivering Security in a Changing World Future Capabilities" (Cm 6269), presented to the House in July 2004.

Working Hours

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average working hours were for personnel in the Army in each year since 2001.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) carry out a Continuous Survey of Working Patterns which is used to provide estimates of average hours worked. A time series of these estimates from 200-02 to 2005-06 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Survey estimates of average weekly hours worked by personnel in the Army 
			  Financial year  Army 
			 2001-02 48.0 
			 2002-03 47.8 
			 2003-04 48.7 
			 2004-05 48.4 
			 2005-06 46.9 
			  Note:  The figures are derived from individual sample surveys conducted each year and as such will be subject to the normal statistical variation. Analysis comparing figures between years are available in the Continuous Working Patterns Survey reports, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Foundation Degrees

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effect of allowing further education colleges to offer foundation degree courses on universities that also offer such courses.

Bill Rammell: The number of Foundation Degree enrolments has risen in five years to almost 47,000, and our ambitions are for further significant increases to 100,000 by 2010. If we are to achieve these ambitions, we will need to see volume growth in programmes delivered in further education colleges and higher education institutions alike.

Health Placements (Children)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are in long-term health placements in England.

Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on the number of children in long-term health placements is not collected centrally.

Schools: Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the dedicated schools grant for each local education authority in England was for  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; what the planned grant is for 2007-08 in each case; and what the percentage change from the previous year was in each case.

Jim Knight: The majority of schools funding in 2005-06 was delivered through the wider Local Government Finance Settlement which is not directly comparable with the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations introduced in 2006.
	The 2005-06 baseline figure is based on local authority spend in 2005-06. The following table shows: the 2005-06 baseline; final 2006-07 DSG allocations; and the percentage increase in 2006-07. The indicative DSG allocations planned for 2007-08; and what this would give as a percentage increase from the previous year.
	The increase in Dedicated Schools Grant allocations year on year are less than the per pupil increases(5.9 per cent. compared to 6.8 per cent. in 2006-07 and 6.0 per cent. compared to 6.7 per cent. in 2007-08) due to the impact of falling pupil numbers nationally.
	
		
			  Local authority  2005-06 DSG baseline including adjustment for academies opened in 2005 and 2006  (£ million)  Final 2006-07 DSG allocation  (£ million)  Percentage increase  2006-07 DSG baseline including adjustment for academies opening in 2006 and 2007  (£ million)  Indicative 2007-08 DSG allocation  (£ million)  Percentage increase 
			  England 25086.646 26573.622 5.9 26522.063 28119.112 6.0 
			
			 Barking and Dagenham 111.126 119.913 7.9 119.913 128.78 7.4 
			 Barnet 163.336 173.792 6.4 173.792 186.125 7.1 
			 Barnsley 108.741 115.173 5.9 114.542 121.169 5.8 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 79.957 84.534 5.7 84.534 89.127 5.4 
			 Bedfordshire 192.601 204.772 6.3 204.772 217.766 6.3 
			 Bexley 128.870 137.002 6.3 137.002 145.552 6.2 
			 Birmingham 635.382 677.576 6.6 677.576 721.89 6.5 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 90.139 97.105 7.7 97.105 102.886 6.0 
			 Blackpool 72.719 76.268 4.9 76.268 80.45 5.5 
			 Bolton 148.084 156.361 5.6 156.361 165.767 6.0 
			 Bournemouth 65.923 69.596 5.6 69.596 73.592 5.7 
			 Bracknell Forest 49.293 52.899 7.3 52.899 56.019 5.9 
			 Bradford 272.081 291.773 7.2 290.223 314.852 8.5 
			 Brent 143.207 159.124 11.1 159.124 175.401 10.2 
			 Brighton and Hove 103.046 108.502 5.3 108.502 115.028 6.0 
			 Bristol, City of 173.448 180.667 4.2 178.989 188.618 5.4 
			 Bromley 146.365 156.417 6.9 156.417 167.06 6.8 
			 Buckinghamshire 235.038 248.999 5.9 248.999 264.111 6.1 
			 Bury 94.032 99.393 5.7 99.393 104.443 5.1 
			 Calderdale 107.788 113.764 5.5 113.764 120.369 5.8 
			 Cambridgeshire 250.708 266.456 6.3 266.456 283.941 6.6 
			 Camden 103.590 110.974 7.1 110.974 118.874 7.1 
			 Cheshire 330.266 346.727 5.0 346.727 364.421 5.1 
			 City of London 1.549 1.664 7.4 1.664 1.808 8.7 
			 Cornwall 228.623 240.785 5.3 240.785 254.632 5.8 
			 Coventry 161.372 170.628 5.7 170.628 180.639 5.9 
			 Croydon 175.035 186.482 6.5 185.132 196.467 6.1 
			 Cumbria 234.865 246.418 4.9 246.418 258.364 4.8 
			 Darlington 51.315 53.941 5.1 53.941 57.007 5.7 
			 Derby 122.994 130.521 6.1 130.521 138.217 5.9 
			 Derbyshire 357.156 376.114 5.3 376.114 396.122 5.3 
			 Devon 300.314 317.668 5.8 317.668 335.842 5.7 
			 Doncaster 150.286 158.019 5.1 158.019 165.701 4.9 
			 Dorset 173.471 183.557 5.8 183.557 193.986 5.7 
			 Dudley 165.538 173.955 5.1 173.955 184.191 5.9 
			 Durham 243.284 255.591 5.1 255.591 268.842 5.2 
			 Ealing 158.876 170.813 7.5 170.813 183.56 7.5 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 149.796 158.009 5.5 158.009 166.468 5.4 
			 East Sussex 224.348 237.085 5.7 237.085 250.369 5.6 
			 Enfield 173.624 186.575 7.5 186.575 201.906 8.2 
			 Essex 656.299 694.378 5.8 694.378 733.957 5.7 
			 Gateshead 91.166 95.668 4.9 95.668 100.514 5.1 
			 Gloucestershire 265.991 279.957 5.3 279.957 293.683 4.9 
			 Greenwich 145.299 157.469 8.4 157.469 169.199 7.4 
			 Hackney 130.902 140.069 7.0 140.069 151.25 8.0 
			 Halton 68.612 71.796 4.6 71.796 75.616 5.3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 74.725 78.825 5.5 77.146 81.724 5.9 
			 Hampshire 579.258 614.145 6.0 614.145 647.731 5.5 
			 Haringey 134.586 144.409 7.3 144.409 156.829 8.6 
			 Harrow 111.135 119.052 7.1 119.052 128.111 7.6 
			 Hartlepool 52.001 54.528 4.9 54.528 57.59 5.6 
			 Havering 126.513 133.791 5.8 133.791 141.827 6.0 
			 Herefordshire 74.633 78.151 4.7 78.151 81.892 4.8 
			 Hertfordshire 532.925 565.275 6.1 565.275 598.533 5.9 
			 Hillingdon 139.739 148.435 6.2 148.435 158.629 6.9 
			 Hounslow 125.959 134.705 6.9 134.705 144.218 7.1 
			 Isle of Wight 64.385 67.779 5.3 67.779 72.729 7.3 
			 Islington 108.176 116.438 7.6 115.069 123.764 7.6 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 53.013 56.218 6.0 56.218 60.272 7.2 
			 Kent 676.738 718.205 6.1 714.040 758.11 6.2 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 135.287 140.699 4.0 140.699 146.327 4.0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 69.193 73.799 6.7 73.799 77.964 5.6 
			 Kirklees 205.666 219.243 6.6 219.243 233.096 6.3 
			 Knowsley 87.146 91.218 4.7 91.218 95.534 4.7 
			 Lambeth 134.461 147.071 9.4 147.071 160.127 8.9 
			 Lancashire 577.605 606.865 5.1 606.865 636.588 4.9 
			 Leeds 345.519 363.869 5.3 362.540 381.058 5.1 
			 Leicester 159.398 169.484 6.3 168.920 181.715 7.6 
			 Leicestershire 282.710 298.047 5.4 298.047 314.612 5.6 
			 Lewisham 151.341 161.465 6.7 159.298 169.754 6.6 
			 Lincolnshire 318.919 338.012 6.0 338.012 358.373 6.0 
			 Liverpool 239.934 251.48 4.8 249.594 264.199 5.9 
			 Luton 114.119 121.89 6.8 118.424 127.871 8.0 
			 Manchester 244.036 257.322 5.4 257.322 274.611 6.7 
			 Medway 144.320 152.202 5.5 152.202 160.547 5.5 
			 Merton 80.899 87.087 7.6 84.693 90.552 6.9 
			 Middlesbrough 69.091 72.479 4.9 72.479 76.846 6.0 
			 Milton Keynes 118.719 128.46 8.2 128.460 138.941 8.2 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 119.651 127.051 6.2 127.051 133.913 5.4 
			 Newham 200.875 215.377 7.2 215.377 233.9 8.6 
			 Norfolk 355.396 376.695 6.0 376.695 399.606 6.1 
			 North East Lincolnshire 90.292 93.904 4.0 93.904 97.66 4.0 
			 North Lincolnshire 80.242 84.891 5.8 84.891 89.621 5.6 
			 North Somerset 86.998 93.147 7.1 93.147 99.412 6.7 
			 North Tyneside 92.277 96.832 4.9 96.832 101.748 5.1 
			 North Yorkshire 272.357 285.994 5.0 285.994 300.126 4.9 
			 Northamptonshire 317.924 338.39 6.4 338.390 360.537 6.5 
			 Northumberland 144.153 151.545 5.1 151.545 159.423 5.2 
			 Nottingham 139.297 145.958 4.8 145.958 152.841 4.7 
			 Nottinghamshire 365.776 384.033 5.0 384.033 404.175 5.2 
			 Oldham 135.730 143.869 6.0 143.869 152.897 6.3 
			 Oxfordshire 268.692 283.527 5.5 282.266 297.154 5.3 
			 Peterborough 96.015 104.111 8.4 99.995 106.981 7.0 
			 Plymouth 121.427 127.125 4.7 127.125 134.208 5.6 
			 Poole 57.987 61.136 5.4 61.136 64.465 5.4 
			 Portsmouth 87.950 92.454 5.1 92.454 97.393 5.3 
			 Reading 55.571 59.511 7.1 58.878 63.026 7.0 
			 Redbridge 139.713 151.437 8.4 151.437 163.239 7.8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 78.154 81.483 4.3 81.483 85.51 4.9 
			 Richmond upon Thames 75.123 80.464 7.1 80.464 85.895 6.7 
			 Rochdale 120.798 127.281 5.4 127.281 134.21 5.4 
			 Rotherham 147.053 155.011 5.4 155.011 163.533 5.5 
			 Rutland 16.762 17.936 7.0 17.936 19.078 6.4 
			 Salford 117.191 122.025 4.1 122.025 127.856 4.8 
			 Sandwell 167.628 177.873 6.1 177.873 190.519 7.1 
			 Sefton 142.895 148.611 4.0 148.611 155.102 4.4 
			 Sheffield 239.378 252.981 5.7 249.864 264.743 6.0 
			 Shropshire 126.943 133.468 5.1 133.468 140.095 5.0 
			 Slough 69.710 75.633 8.5 75.633 82.704 9.3 
			 Solihull 108.504 113.614 4.7 112.078 117.273 4.6 
			 Somerset 228.722 241.427 5.6 241.427 255.341 5.8 
			 South Gloucestershire 120.705 127.61 5.7 127.610 135.001 5.8 
			 South Tyneside 79.430 82.607 4.0 82.607 85.911 4.0 
			 Southampton 102.005 106.923 4.8 106.923 112.32 5.0 
			 Southend-on-Sea 88.135 93.734 6.4 93.734 99.498 6.1 
			 Southwark 157.219 167.665 6.6 161.710 173.653 7.4 
			 St Helens 92.024 96.075 4.4 96.075 100.509 4.6 
			 Staffordshire 391.457 410.246 4.8 410.246 429.622 4.7 
			 Stockport 135.948 141.421 4.0 140.159 145.87 4.1 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 98.445 102.936 4.6 102.936 107.764 4.7 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 122.891 128.578 4.6 128.578 134.79 4.8 
			 Suffolk 306.440 325.258 6.1 325.258 344.033 5.8 
			 Sunderland 146.524 152.385 4.0 152.385 159.514 4.7 
			 Surrey 463.293 496.045 7.1 496.045 527.726 6.4 
			 Sutton 100.971 107.407 6.4 107.407 113.797 5.9 
			 Swindon 92.985 99.65 7.2 98.019 103.779 5.9 
			 Tameside 120.845 126.931 5.0 126.931 133.368 5.1 
			 Telford and Wrekin 87.110 91.545 5.1 89.353 94.802 6.1 
			 Thurrock 79.360 84.337 6.3 83.061 88.409 6.4 
			 Torbay 60.352 63.337 4.9 63.337 67.495 6.6 
			 Tower Hamlets 181.736 197.62 8.7 197.620 215.852 9.2 
			 Trafford 109.445 115.557 5.6 115.557 122.868 6.3 
			 Wakefield 161.649 169.213 4.7 169.213 177.925 5.1 
			 Walsall 148.831 156.923 5.4 156.923 167.84 7.0 
			 Waltham Forest 132.971 144.467 8.6 143.238 153.499 7.2 
			 Wandsworth 113.113 124.128 9.7 124.128 135.255 9.0 
			 Warrington 100.108 105.26 5.1 105.260 111.029 5.5 
			 Warwickshire 240.772 255.186 6.0 255.186 269.998 5.8 
			 West Berkshire 77.515 82.568 6.5 82.568 87.993 6.6 
			 West Sussex 345.758 366.745 6.1 366.745 387.174 5.6 
			 Westminster 80.126 86.014 7.3 82.891 90.69 9.4 
			 Wigan 161.897 169.716 4.8 169.716 178.635 5.3 
			 Wiltshire 203.736 215.852 5.9 215.852 229.312 6.2 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 62.038 66.332 6.9 66.332 70.647 6.5 
			 Wirral 162.889 170.958 5.0 170.958 180.181 5.4 
			 Wokingham 71.621 75.96 6.1 75.960 80.526 6.0 
			 Wolverhampton 129.282 136.566 5.6 136.566 144.996 6.2 
			 Worcestershire 245.524 259.678 5.8 259.678 273.474 5.3 
			 York 75.700 79.798 5.4 79.798 83.918 5.2

Train to Gain

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which providers have been awarded Train to Gain contracts in each region; what the value is of each contract; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Over 300 colleges and independent providers have succeeded in winning a contract to deliver Train to Gain in one or more regions through fair and open competitive tender. Arrangements are being made to place the list of providers and thevalue of their Train to Gain contract in the House Library.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Party Funding

Greg Hands: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee onthe Electoral Commission what representations the Commission has received on councillors' allowances being used to fund local and national political parties.

Peter Viggers: I am informed by the Commission that it has received one letter about the practice of councillors making donations to political parties from their allowances.

Postal Voting

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what monitoring the Electoral Commission has undertaken of the integrity of postal voting.

Peter Viggers: The Commission has a duty to keep electoral law and practice under review and has addressed the issue of the integrity of postal voting in its statutory reports on elections.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Fund Management

Chris Bryant: To ask the hon. Memberfor Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners whether the portfolio of funds managed by the Church Commissioners on behalf of the Church of England includes shares in Burberry.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners own around£2.5 million worth of shares in the Burberry Group. This represents about 0.1 per cent. of their UK equities portfolio.

Retired Clergy

John Pugh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what percentage of ordained clergymen are retired; and what assessment the Commissioners have made of the contribution of retired clergy to the work of the Church.

Stuart Bell: Just under 50 per cent. of the 18,000 or so clergy in receipt of a stipend or pension are retired. By way of a statement, the Church's ministry to the nation could not be sustained without the invaluable contribution of all those who offer their ministry voluntarily. These include not only retired clergy but also non-stipendiary ministers, ordained local ministers and readers.

Church Repairs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Memberfor Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent representations the Commissioners have received on the level of grants for church repairs; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: The Commissioners have received no such representations but the Church Heritage Forum has and, with the Commissioners' support, it continues to take all available opportunities to press the case with Government for better funding arrangements.

Ordination of Women

Robert Key: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners how many  (a) parishes and  (b) parochial church councils (PCCs) in each diocese have passed (i) Resolution A and (ii) Resolution B under Section 3 of the Priest (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993; and how many PCCs have petitioned for extended episcopal ministry.

Stuart Bell: Only parochial church councils are able legally to pass the resolutions in question. Therefore the answer I am about to give only answers part  (b) of the hon. Gentleman's question. Figures were last collected in 2004.
	
		
			  Resolutions passed by (b) PCCs under section 3 of the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993—as at 31 March 2004 
			   PCCs 
			  Diocese  (i) Passing resolution A  (ii) Passing resolution B  Having petitioned for extended episcopal ministry 
			 Bath and Wells 16 16 7 
			 Birmingham 11 13 7 
			 Blackburn 49 69 4 
			 Bradford 7 8 2 
			 Bristol 9 9 3 
			 Canterbury 13 20 3 
			 Carlisle 14 25 2 
			 Chelmsford 38 45 16 
			 Chester 15 29 8 
			 Chichester 32 35 1 
			 Coventry 12 16 6 
			 Derby 17 19 II 
			 Durham 39 40 19 
			 Ely 8 10 5 
			 Exeter 12 22 31 
			 Gloucester 19 20 2 
			 Guildford 5 6 3 
			 Hereford 2 2 0 
			 Leicester 14 14 2 
			 Lichfield 38 38 8 
			 Lincoln 23 26 4 
			 Liverpool 13 18 2 
			 London 70 73 30 
			 Manchester 39 48 18 
			 Newcastle 21 25 0 
			 Norwich 15 19 2 
			 Oxford 19 28 10 
			 Peterborough 14 19 2 
			 Portsmouth 12 17 5 
			 Ripon and Leeds 7 9 3 
			 Rochester 15 17 10 
			 St. Albans 14 17 7 
			 St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich 12 14 6 
			 Salisbury 8 20 2 
			 Sheffield 34 37 20 
			 Sodor and Man 1 1 1 
			 Southwark 21 33 17 
			 Southwell 7 14 5 
			 Truro 23 22 4 
			 Wakefield 18 18 9 
			 Winchester 9 13 5 
			 Worcester 5 5 3 
			 York 31 37 10 
			 Europe 9 16 0 
			 Total 810 1,002 315

NORTHERN IRELAND

Community Investment Fund

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which organisations in each district council area have been successful in securing funding from the Community Investment Fund in the latest round of applications.

David Hanson: The Community Investment Fund (CIF) was established under "Positive Steps: The Government's Response to Investing Together" to deliver a longer-term, strategic commitment to supporting community development, to help deliver change to those most in need. The Community Investment Fund will be directed towards the support of longer-term funding for core operating costs. An initial budget of £5 million is available to the CIF over three years. 137 applications for funding were received and following detailed assessment some 36 organisations have proceeded to the final stage of economic appraisal. To date six of these organisations have successfully completed this process and have been offered funding contracts. These are: Ballybeen Women's Centre and Greenway Women's Centre (Castlereagh council), Strathfoyle Women's Activity Group and Foyle Women's Information Network (Derry city council), Footprints Women's Centre (Lisburn council) and Chrysalis Women's Centre (Craigavon council). Other economic appraisals are underway.

Departmental Expenditure

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: Detailed in the table are the total amounts spent on recruitment advertising in the NIO Core Department during the calendar years 2004to 2006.
	
		
			   Spend on recruitment advertising (£) 
			 2004 159,956 
			 2005 74,544 
			 2006 (to date) 40,204

Homelessness

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland who are classed as homeless are in employment; and what accommodation facilities are available for those people.

David Hanson: The information cannot be provided in the format requested as information regarding the employment status of homeless applicants is not readily available. The employment status has no bearing on the assessment of homelessness or the type of assistance, including accommodation, that can be provided.
	At 14 December 2006 there were 9,546 homeless full duty applicants on the waiting list of which 6,692 applicants were awarded full duty status this financial year (since April 2006).
	The temporary accommodation supply available to the Housing Executive, with regard to provision for the homeless is as follows:
	
		
			  Sector  Number  Units (houses/flats)  Bed spaces 
			 Housing Executive hostels 23 206 693 
			 Voluntary sector hostels 71 — 1,272 
			 Self contained properties (houses/flats) 552 — 1,800 
			 Bed and breakfast/houses in multiple occupation 42 — 397 
			  688 — 4,162

Social Fund

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many community care grants from the Social Fund were awarded in each of the26 district council areas in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested as Social Fund data cannot be broken down by district council. The following table shows the number of community care grants from the Social Fund that were awarded in each of the six social security districts in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  District  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 North 4,285 3,673 3,765 
			 South 4,741 4,314 4,133 
			 East Down 3,801 3,687 3,652 
			 West 5,922 5,960 5,912 
			 Belfast North and East Antrim 4,912 4,826 5,062 
			 Belfast West and Lisburn 5,089 5,035 5,718 
			 Total 28,750 27,495 28,242

Water and Sewage Services

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the domestic rate in Northern Ireland is used to fund water and sewage services.

David Hanson: The regional rate is an un-hypothecated tax and is not allocated to specific areas of expenditure, but instead contributes to the overall resources available to the Secretary of State to allocate to regional public services in Northern Ireland.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2006,  Official Report, column 239W, on Afghanistan, when she expects the first annual review of the Enduring Relationship Declaration between the UK and Afghanistan to be concluded; and if she will place a copy of the review in the Library upon completion.

Margaret Beckett: To allow for full consultation with the Afghan Government, the first annual review of the Enduring Relationship Declaration between the UK and Afghanistan will be completed by the end of January 2007. The review, in the form of the Enduring Relationship Action Plan, will be published and a copy placed in the Library of the House.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 479-80W, on Pakistan, how many Taliban members were extradited to Afghanistan from Pakistan in each year since January 2003.

Margaret Beckett: Media reports and our contacts with the Government of Pakistan suggest that Pakistan continues to arrest and return to Afghanistan people that they suspect to have links with the Taliban and militancy against UK and International Security Assistance Force forces in Afghanistan. We do not have records for numbers of Taliban members extradited to Afghanistan by the Pakistani authorities. As he discussed with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 19 November 2006, President Musharraf is committed to combating the Taliban and al- Qaeda in Pakistan.

Antananarivo

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the effect on her Department's costs has been of the closure of the British embassy in Antananarivo in 2005; and how much income was received from the sale of the embassy  (a) property and  (b) chattels.

Geoff Hoon: Following the closure of the embassy in 2005, the combined savings from our running, staff and programme costs amount to approximately £679,000 a year.
	The residence was sold for £265,000 in November 2005. All other properties, including the office, were leased.

Antiques and Works of Art

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what items were included under the heading Antiques and Works of Art in Table 11 of her Department's Annual Report 2006; what the 10 most expensive purchases were in this category during the period covered by the report; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The value of the Antiques and Worksof Art held by the Foreign and CommonwealthOffice (FCO), and referred to in Table 11 of theFCO's Annual Report 2006 was £19.84 million on31 March 2006. These include antique furniture, rugs, silverware, works of art, chandeliers and other items. No purchases of items in this category (over £3,000) were made during the period covered by the report.

Bangladesh

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Bangladesh authorities on the level of violence in that country.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 68-69W.

BBC World Service

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries are covered by the BBC World Service.

Geoff Hoon: BBC World Service (BBCWS) categorises its services by regions and languages rather than individual countries as, by their very nature, broadcasting signals do not stop at national boundaries. The BBCWS's English language service is broadcast globally and is accessible via a range of mediums depending on location (Short-wave, Medium-wave, FM, the Internet). There are also 32 vernacular language services that are targeted at the geographical regions where those languages are spoken. A list of all the vernacular language services is as follows.
	 List of BBCWS vernacular language services
	Arabic
	Hausa
	Somali
	Swahili
	Kinyarwanda
	Portuguese for Africa
	French for Africa
	Mandarin
	Cantonese
	Burmese
	Indonesian
	Vietnamese
	Hindi
	Urdu
	Bengali
	Nepali
	Tamil
	Sinhala
	Persian
	Pashto
	Azeri
	Uzbek
	Kyrgyz
	Russian
	Ukrainian
	Spanish
	Portuguese for Brazil
	Turkish
	Serbian
	Macedonian
	Albanian
	Romanian

British Council

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Russian Government concerning the temporary closure of the British Council's offices in St. Petersburg.

Geoff Hoon: On 7 December 2006, a St. Petersburg court ruled that the British Council offices inSt. Petersburg be closed down for a period of 15 days, citing infringement of fire and safety regulations.Our ambassador in Moscow raised this issue withthe Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, on11 December. The British Council has lodged an appeal against the judgement against it, which will be heard on 19 December. We continue to monitor the situation closely.

British Council

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the British Council's procedures for investigating allegations of sexual abuse by its employees.

Geoff Hoon: The British Council policies and procedures for investigating such matters comply fully with UK law and best practice guidelines. The British Council's grievance procedure encompasses harassment, bullying and whistle-blowing. In addition, there is a separate staff disciplinary procedure and a child protection policy.

Coca

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount of coca planted near the border of Colombia and Ecuador by rebels and drug traffickers in the last 12 months; what action the UK Government is taking to assist in reducing this figure; and what assessment she has made of Ecuadorian opposition to recent Colombian eradication efforts.

Kim Howells: Since late 2005, the Colombian authorities have reported a dramatic increase in coca cultivation in the border area with Ecuador. The Colombian authorities have therefore decided to resume, temporarily, aerial spraying in these areas. Manual eradication methods are not feasible due to the presence of illegal armed groups and drug traffickers in these areas.
	The UK is not involved in Colombia's eradication programmes but has recently committed funds through the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to part-fund the current satellite survey of coca cultivation in Ecuador.
	We are aware of Ecuadorian concerns over the environmental and health impact of aerial spraying. Ecuador has delivered a strong protest to the Colombian Government and is threatening to withdraw its Ambassador to Colombia. We also understand that President-elect Correa has raised the issue with the UN and the Organisation of American States. The UNODC is monitoring the situation closely.
	This is matter for the Ecuadorian and Colombian Governments and we would encourage them to reach a mutually acceptable solution and to work together to disrupt the production and distribution of illicit drugs.

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was paid in compensation payments by her Department in 2005-06; and what the reason for the payment was in each case.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office paid £235,427.51 in compensation in 2005-06. Of this we paid £84,000 to victims of the 2003 bombing of the British Consulate-General in Istanbul. The remainder was in settlement of miscellaneous smaller claimsfor which a case-by-case breakdown would incur disproportionate cost.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 26th October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Vevima Marcelo.

Margaret Beckett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 30 November.

Democratic Republic of Congo

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Margaret Beckett: The security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains fragile, especially in the east of the country. Congolese militia and foreign armed groups continue to abuse local populations. Reform of the security sector has been minimal and the army continues to pose a threat to peace and stability.
	But President Kabila's inauguration on 6 December and rival Jean-Pierre Bemba's decision to work in political opposition marks a turning point in the DRC's history. We look forward to working closely with the new Government to develop a stable, secure and prosperous DRC. Together with international partners, the UK will continue to press Congolese political and military actors to respect the democratic process and to ensure troops under their command do not restart violence or abuse civilians, and to continue efforts to re-establish diplomatic relations with neighbouring countries.

Departmental Equipment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of her Department's  (a) computers and  (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period.

Geoff Hoon: No records are available for the period 1997 to 2001. The details of losses of computers and laptops for subsequent years are as follows:
	
		
			   Laptops  PCs 
			 2002-03 4 — 
			 2003-04 2 — 
			 2004-05 3 2 
			 2005-06 1 — 
		
	
	We estimate the value of each piece of equipment lost does not exceed £1,000.

Entry Visa

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when HMHigh Commission, Islamabad, will issue an entry visa to Mr. W. G. (reference ISB/989803), husband of Mrs. A. M. of Aylesbury, following the decisions of the immigration judge on 23 May and of the tribunal on18 August (reference OA/17132/2005).

Kim Howells: Mr. W. G., husband of Mrs. A. M. of Aylesbury, was issued with entry clearance by the Visa Section of our High Commission in Islamabad on4 December 2006.

EU Civil Service

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to promote diversity and equality throughout the EU Civil Service.

Geoff Hoon: The Government are committed to helping UK nationals who wish to make a career in the EU institutions and believes that, just as the UK Civil Service should be representative of British society, so the staff in the EU institutions should reflect the diversity of the entire EU.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works closely with the Cabinet Office to encourage a diverse range of UK candidates to apply to work in the EU institutions, for example, by regularly participating in recruitment fairs throughout the UK.

EU Constitution

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the German Foreign Ministry on the EU Constitution.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular contact with German counterparts. This contact will continue in advance of and during Germany's presidency of the European Council in the first half of 2007. My right hon.Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Berlin on 23 to24 October to discuss a range of foreign policy issues, including EU issues. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also had talks with the German ambassador on 14 December. A range of foreign policy issues was discussed, including EU issues.

European Anti-Fraud Office

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress made by  (a) the European Anti-Fraud Office and  (b) the case of illegal exports to Iraq during the previous regime, as referred to on page 125 of the European Court of Auditors' Reportfor 2003.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Mr. Howells, gave to him on 10 May 2006,  Official Report, column 351W, with regard to illegal exports to Iraq in the 1990s. Several member states have been requested to recover funds unduly paid. Investigations on financial responsibility are ongoing.

European Commission

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the UK members are of the European Commission's High Level Advisory Group on Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and their Full Participation in the Labour Market; what the mission statement is of the group; how much in expenses claims have been made by UK members of the group; and what the agenda has been of each meeting.

Geoff Hoon: Members of the European Commission's "High Level Advisory Group on Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and their Full Participation in the Labour Market" are appointed in a personal capacity. There is only one UK citizen who is a member, Mr. Lee Jasper. The Commission Decision of 20 January 2006 establishing the group states its objectives to be:
	to analyse how to achieve better social integration of ethnic minorities and their full participation in the labour market within the European Union; and
	to submit, before the end of the "2007 European Yearof Equal Opportunities for All", a report containing recommendations on the policies to be implemented in this connection.
	The group will also play a role in assessingthe socio-economic situation of ethnic minorities, the different situations and needs of minority groups, the impact of multiple discrimination and the impact of possible future enlargement.
	The Government do not hold details of expenses as they are paid directly by the Commission. The group met for the first time on 13 February 2006 in Brussels. As the group was established by the Commission the Government do not hold copies of the meetings' agendas.

Fines: EU

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions the UK has been fined by the EU in the last five years; and how much this has amounted to in each such year.

Geoff Hoon: The UK has never been fined by the European Court of Justice.

Government Hospitality

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of the Government Hospitality Advisory Committee for the Purchase of Wine was in 2005-06.

Geoff Hoon: The running costs amounted to just under £9,600. These include the costs of samples for tasting, and the cost of four meetings and lunch for the committee and its guests. This figure does not include the staff time of the official who administers the committee, the head of Government Hospitality, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services.

Guatemala

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Guatemala.

Geoff Hoon: We are in close contact, and discuss human rights regularly, with the Guatemalan Government, our EU partners and a wide range of human rights organisations. The human rights situation has improved since the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996, following 36 years of conflict. However, we are concerned by the security and human rights situation, the growth of organised crime, the activities of gangs (called maras) and widespread impunity which threatens the rule of law in Guatemala. We are also concerned by attacks on human rights defenders and the increase in violence against women.
	We will continue to press the Guatemalan authorities to implement in full the 1996 Peace Accords, investigate reports of human rights abuses thoroughly and tackle impunity.

Iran: Nuclear Power

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions she has met her P5 +Germany counterparts to discuss Iran's nuclear programme since 31 August 2006.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign Ministers of the 'E3+3' (France, Germany, UK + China, Russia, US) have met twice since August to discuss Iran, on19 September in New York and on 6 October in London. I have also discussed Iran in bilateral meetings, including when I saw my Russian and US counterparts at the 'Forum for the Future' conference in Amman on 1 December.
	E3+3 senior officials have met many times to discuss a new draft Security Council Resolution on Iran, most recently on 5 December in Paris.

Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what visa regulations are in place for Israelis seeking to enterthe UK.

Kim Howells: Israeli citizens are classed as non-visa nationals and must comply with the Immigration Rules to enter the UK. Details of the visa regulations regarding non-visa nationals can be found in Diplomatic Service Procedures Volume 1 available on the UKVisas website at:
	http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1034241195847.

Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage the EU to suspend the EU Israel Trade Association Agreement.

Kim Howells: We are taking no steps to encouragethe EU to suspend the EU-Israel Trade Association Agreement. We therefore continue to work with both parties, as well as the US, our EU partners and the international community to work to revitalise the peace process.

Kosovo

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the fulfilment of UN Resolution 1244 on the future of Kosovo.

Geoff Hoon: We have worked closely with the UN Mission in Kosovo, supporting its mandate under 1244, and in particular working with UN and Contact Group partners to support a political process to determine Kosovo's future status. We fully supportthe work of UN Status Envoy Martti Ahtisaari in determining a settlement on final status.

Lebanon

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress the international community has made in achieving the disarmament of Hezbollah in Lebanon in compliance with UN resolutions; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UN Secretary-General has made clear his belief that disarmament of militias in Lebanon must take place through a political process leading to the full restoration of the authority of the Government of Lebanon. Discussions between parties in Lebanon on how to form a representative government exercising sole authority began, but are currently stalled. We continue to urge the parties to resume dialogue.

Middle East

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had on establishing a sanctions committee to monitor the implementation of the UN arms embargo against Lebanon as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1701; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The UK continues to be concerned about reports of arms smuggling across the Syria/Lebanon border in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. In his letter of 1 December to the Security Council, the UN Secretary-General noted that the UN continues to receive reports of arms smuggling across the Lebanese/Syrian border, although the UN has been unable to verify these.
	We remain fully committed to UN Security Council Resolution 1701. While I have had no discussions on establishing a sanctions committee, officials in my Department have discussed this with international partners and the UN, as part of a package of measures designed to help the Government of Lebanon strengthen the security of their border with Syria.

NATO Partnership for Peace

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what follow-up mechanism will be put in place to ensure the full co-operation of Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia following their invitation to join the NATO Partnership for Peace.

Margaret Beckett: NATO's invitation for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to join Partnership for Peace (PfP) was taken in the interests of long-term stability in the Western Balkans and as recognition of the progress the two countries have made. However, the communiqué from the Riga summit makes clear that NATO expects Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to co-operate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and will closely monitor their respective efforts in this. This will be important for both countries as PfP members, and if they want to move beyond PfP towards full NATO membership. The level of co-operation of both countries with the ICTY is subject to regular review by ICTY's Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte.

Nuclear Disarmament

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many multilateral negotiating fora the UK participates in with the aim of seeking multilateral disarmament; and what progress has been made towards nuclear disarmament in these fora.

Kim Howells: The Conference on Disarmament (CD) is the only dedicated permanent negotiating forum with a mandate to negotiate disarmament. The CD and its predecessors (10 Nation (1960), 18 Nation (1962-68) and Conference on the Committee on Disarmament (1969-78)) have been responsible for negotiating:
	Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;
	convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques;
	the seabed treaties;
	the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction;
	the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction; and
	the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
	More recently, this year it has hosted discussions on Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), nuclear disarmament, Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space, Negative Security Assurances, new types of Weapons of Mass Destruction, comprehensive disarmament and transparency and armaments. The UK continues to press for agreement at the CD to commence the immediate negotiation of an FMCT, without pre-conditions, which we believe is the next logical step towards nuclear disarmament.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans she has to consult  (a) interested non-governmental organisations,  (b) security think-tanks and  (c) appropriate academics in preparing the United Kingdom delegation for the review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to be held in New York in Spring 2007.

Kim Howells: In preparation for the last Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in 2005, officials and Ministers from a number of Government Departments had discussions with interested non-governmental organisations, think-tanks and academics. We expect to have similar exchanges during this review cycle.

Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the development of a new British nuclear deterrent on nuclear proliferation in  (a) Asia,  (b) Africa and  (c) the Middle East.

Geoff Hoon: The UK's decision to maintain its existing nuclear deterrent, while making a further20 per cent. cut in operationally available warheads, demonstrates our continued commitment to our obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). This sends a strong signal to others, including in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, to comply fully with their own NPT obligations.

Palestinian Tax and Customs Revenues

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the government of Israel on the resumption of the transfer of Palestinian tax and customs revenues.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development most recently raised our concerns with Israeli Foreign MinisterLivni and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Peres on13 November. We support the 13/14 November General Affairs and External Relations Council conclusions that call on Israel to resume tax and custom revenue transfers immediately.

Radical Middle Way Roadshow

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what events were  (a) organised and  (b) postponed under the Radical Middle Way roadshow initiative; and what the cost was in 2005-06.

Kim Howells: Details of all the events held and supported by the organisers of the Radical Middle Way project are available on the following website:
	www.radicalmiddleway.co.uk.
	We are not aware of any events being postponed. Total Government funding for the roadshows was £250,400 in 2005-06.

Russia

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her German counterpart on EU-Russian relations on energy.

Geoff Hoon: Ministers and senior officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, have had regular contact with counterparts in the German government on energy security during the Russian Presidency of the G8, notably in the context of EU discussions.
	The Government was pleased that Russia chose to focus on global energy security as a key priority during its G8 Presidency. Together with EU partners, we took the opportunity of the EU's meeting with President Putin in Lahti, Finland in October to discuss the importance of the key principles of stability, transparency and predictability in energy markets. We were pleased that President Putin reaffirmed Russia's commitment to these principles, agreed at the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg in July, and which feature in the Energy Charter Treaty. Dialogue with Russia on energy issues continued at the EU/Russia summit on24 November.

Somalia

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK Government's policy is on the proposal to send a UN force to Somalia.

Margaret Beckett: We fully support UN Security Council Resolution 1725 which was adopted unanimously on 6 December and authorises a protection and training mission in Somalia to be established by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the African Union.

Sri Lanka

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she has taken to encourage the Sri Lankan Government to cease the indiscriminate bombing of civilians.

Kim Howells: We are concerned about the human rights and humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka. Although the full circumstances and effects are not yet clear, we understand that in recent weeks there have been credible reports of a number of instances where it appears that the actions of the Sri Lankan armed forces have resulted in a tragic loss of civilian lives in the north and east of the country. We have raised with and will continue to reiterate to the Sri Lankan Government our deep concern that their armed forces are not taking effective measures to safeguard civilians some of whom, as Internally Displaced Persons, have already been severely affected by the conflict. Following one such incident in November our High Commission in Colombo issued a statement making clear UK concern for the civilian victims of the conflict.
	We call on the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to demonstrate, by their actions, their commitment to the 2002 Cease-Fire, to cease hostilities which are impacting heavily on civilian communities and to allow the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission access to affected areas.

Sri Lanka

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to encourage the Sri Lankan Government to open the A9 road to the Jaffna Peninsular.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, Mr. Thomas, gave to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 67W.

Sri Lanka

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of United Nations reports that the Karuna Group in Sri Lanka is recruiting child soldiers; and what steps she is taking to seek to stop the practice.

Kim Howells: We are very concerned at recent reports that criticised parties to the Sri Lanka conflict including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Karuna faction for the recruitment and use of child soldiers. We deplore this practice: there can be no excuse for failing to observe such basic human rights. We fully support the UN Security Council Resolutions on children in armed conflict, including Resolution 1612 that set up a monitoring and reporting mechanism on the recruitment and use of child soldiers in a number of countries including Sri Lanka. We are actively involved in the Working Group on children and armed conflict at the UN. We also actively contribute to EU policy formation and implementation on this issue, including the recent Statement of the EU Presidency to the UN Human Rights Council, which raised detailed concerns about the recruitment and use of child soldiers in Sri Lanka. Bilaterally, we have and will continue to underline to the Sri Lankan authorities as well as to the LTTE the unacceptability of the recruitment and use of child soldiers in violation of applicable international law.
	We understand that since these reports Colonel Karuna has contacted the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict and given assurances the Karuna Group will work formally with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to implement an action plan to prevent the recruitment and use of children. We, and international partners, will be closely monitoring this initiative.

Syria

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of Syria's compliance with UN Resolution 1701 in terms of its ceasing to arm Hezbollah.

Kim Howells: The UN Secretary-General on1 December, reported to the UN Security Council on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. He noted that the UN continues to receive reports of illegal arms smuggling across the Lebanese/Syrian border, but has been unable to verify these reports. We share the UN's concern over thesereports and have urged Syria to take steps to ensurefull compliance with UN Security CouncilResolution 1701.

Turkey: EU Accession

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will makea statement on progress on consideration of the recommendation by the European Commission to suspend eight chapters of the negotiations on the accession of Turkey to the EU.

Geoff Hoon: The Commission's recommendation was discussed by EU ambassadors on 29 November and6 December and Ministers will discuss this issue at the General Affairs Council on 11 December. If required, further discussion may take place at the December European Council 14-15 December. We agree that Turkey must fulfil its obligations under the Ankara Agreement Protocol, but in our view the recommendation from the Commission is disappointingly tough. We have made our views clear to the Commission and other member states.

Visa Cases

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when HM High Commission Islamabad will review the applicationby Mrs. N. A., wife of Mr. M. M. of Aylesbury, (reference GV100/117618/DL) as described in the letter of 27 June from UK Visas to the hon. Member for Aylesbury.

Kim Howells: Due to a large backlog of cases, the review of Mrs. N. A.'s case was unfortunately delayed.
	The review was completed on 16 October 2006. The Entry Clearance Manager at our High Commission in Islamabad was satisfied that the original decision to refuse entry clearance was consistent with the requirements of the Immigration Rules and should therefore stand. Appeal papers were despatched by our High Commission in Islamabad to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) on 12 December 2006. The AIT has scheduled an appeal hearing for4 January 2006.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Cabinet Office

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will break down by main budget heading the budget line Advising Government Centrally on Publicity Matters and Associated Non Cash Items identified in the Cabinet Office annual report; and whether consultants were employed to work in this area of the Cabinet Office's work.

Hilary Armstrong: The budget line, Advising Government Centrally on Publicity Matters and Associated Non Cash Items, refers to funding provided to the Central Office of Information (COI).
	The main items of expenditure that it contains relate to:
	advice provided to Departments, agencies and other publicly funded bodies to enable them to achieve maximum effectiveness and best value for money in their publicity programmes. This advice may be against the COI Trading Fund's own commercial interests;
	common good research conducted into the hard-to-reach target audiences to whom Government needs to communicate its policies and to inform about rights and benefits. The results of the research are shared across all Departments and agencies to enable them to target their communications in the most effective way; and
	activities supporting the Regional Media Emergency Forums, which develop strategies for handling large-scale emergency incidents.
	Non cash items are the notional National Audit Office audit fee and a cost of capital charge.
	No consultants were employed to carry out the work.

Civil Servants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  when the latest figures on the number of disabled staff in the civil service will be published;
	(2)  when the latest figures on diversity in the civil service will be published.

Patrick McFadden: The next set of work force figures, covering the period April 2005 to April 2006, will be published in the first quarter of 2007.

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much in compensation payments was paid by her Department in 2005-06; and what the reason for the payment was in each case.

Hilary Armstrong: The amount of Special Payments made in 2005-06 can be found in the "Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resources Accounts 2005-06", copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members. These were for: an accident in the workplace; expenses incurred as a result of errors in the payroll process; errors made in the calculation or payment of pensions; purchase of land; and, cancellation fees/expenses incurred due to essential operational requirements.

Departmental Bodies

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total cost was of all projects undertaken by the Social Exclusion Taskforce since it was established.

Hilary Armstrong: The Social Exclusion Task Force does not account for spend by project.

Departmental Staff

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2006,  Official Report, column 594W, on departmental staff, if she will list the training courses available to Cabinet Office  (a) staff and  (b) ministers.

Hilary Armstrong: Details of training courses available for staff are shown in the following list. All learning and development provision addresses the identified needs of staff to achieve continued development in line with Professional Skills for Government, and also ensures value for money.
	 Induction events
	Working in the Cabinet Office
	New Starters' reception
	 Performance Management
	Effective performance management for managers
	Effective performance management for non-managers
	 Management skills
	The Management Experience (management skills for first time managers)
	Towards Better Leadership (management skills for senior managers)
	 Recruitment and selection Training
	Module 1: Advertisement writing
	Module 2: Sifting for interview
	Module 3: Interviewing skills
	 Other courses
	The meaning and the message (giving and receiving feedback)
	Executive Coaching (for Senior Civil Servants)
	Trading Perspectives (Reverse mentoring scheme)
	Access to all courses run by National School of Government.
	IT skills (Excel, Word, Access and PowerPoint)
	 Bespoke events
	Events are also arranged for staff to address developmental needs identified by management units.
	With regards to details of training courses available for Ministers, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Noble Lord, Lord Bassam of Brighton in another place to the Noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth, on 8 February 2006,  Official Report, column 102W.

DHL

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much her Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

Edward Miliband: Payments made by the Department to DHL since 1997-98 are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 1997-98 131 
			 1998-99 0 
			 1999-2000 191 
			 2000-01 6,231 
			 2001-02 64,555 
			 2002-03 84,261 
			 2003-04 81,119 
			 2004-05 77,452 
			 2005-06 68,943 
		
	
	Since 1997-98 the Cabinet Office has used DHL along with other companies to provide courier services. Usage of DHL for such services up until 1999-2000 was low, with the costs incurred by a handful of different management units. From the latter part of 2000-01, the Department had a need for more regular secure courier services from DHL, in relation to daily secure courier delivery of confidential citizen data enabling printing of registration and enrolment letters and pin codes for the Government Gateway. Thereafter, the cost fluctuated according to the business need of the Government Gateway team.

Parliamentary Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether guidance is issued to Departments on answering parliamentary questions on bilateral meetings held between Ministers from different Departments.

Hilary Armstrong: Decisions on answers to parliamentary questions are a matter for the Minister concerned.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Broadband: North East Region

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what help his Department is giving to  (a) rural areas and  (b) other areas in the North East of England where broadband is (i) unavailable and (ii) only available at a slow speed.

Margaret Hodge: 99.8 per cent. of the UK population is able to access broadband as defined by Ofcom in May 2004 as "higher bandwidth, always-on service, offering data rates of 128kbps and above". Broadband coverage stands at 99.2 per cent. of households in rural areas.
	The DTI has now moved away from basic accessibility issues towards encouraging greater take-up. In general, the market rather than the regulatoror public sector is best placed to assess the appropriateness of widening and/or strengtheningthe existing broadband network although both the regulator and the Government will consider whether there is any market failure which requires intervention.
	In the consultation on the next Rural Development Programme for England, DEFRA has proposed that one priority should be to enhance opportunity inrural areas through increased investment in skills, enterprise and innovation. The availability and effective use of broadband will be key to this objective.Regional Development Agencies and other regional partners will be involved in prioritising and delivering the Programme. However, the start of the Programme is being delayed as detailed in the Statementmade by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on1 November 2006.
	OneNorthEast has responsibility for regional economic and competitiveness policy in the North East of England. OneNorthEast currently offers support for providing satellite connectivity to rural businesses in the North East who are unable to get connectivity via fixed line broadband. It was the first UK region to ensure that all the exchanges could provide broadband.
	The DTI, in conjunction with Ofcom, is due to publish a "best practice" statement on the rationale and scope for public sector interventions in the broadband market. DTI would currently support public intervention where:
	The market has failed;
	Distributional policy objectives can be achieved through intervention e.g. social inclusion, or reducing a digital divide; and
	There is evidence that increased competitiveness can be achieved through addressing regional economic disparities.

Carbon Emission Targets

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Department has spent making progress towards departmental carbon emission targets.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DTI has invested in a number of initiatives contributing to a reduction in carbon emissions from 5.2 to 4.4 tonnes during the period 1990-2000 to 2004-05. This has included engaging with the Carbon Trust to undertake carbon management energy efficiency surveys, awareness campaigns and feasibility studies into on-site microgeneration—expenditure £22,740—and procurement of over 33 per cent. energy from renewable sources on a cash neutral basis.

Council for Science and Technology

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will appoint to the Council for Science and Technology a member who represents the natural sciences.

Malcolm Wicks: The appointments process for new members of the Council for Science and Technology (CST) is currently under way. On this occasion we are seeking to replace only a small number of CST members, and we are particularly looking to recruit senior business people and a senior economist, all of whom would be able to contribute actively to the science, engineering and technology policy agenda. When making these appointments Government will want to ensure that, as now, CST continues to have access to the core scientific disciplines. The selection panel will be making recommendations to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on the new CST appointments.

Departmental Equipment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of his Department's  (a) computers and  (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI has records covering years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 only, the reported losses are as follows:
	
		
			  January to December each year  Description  Total quantity  Total value (£) 
			 2003 Computer 0 0 
			  Laptop 22 28,094.00 
			 
			 2004 Computer 1 1,123.00 
			  Laptop 26 33,203.00 
			 
			 2005 Computer 1 600.00 
			  Laptop 21 21,000.00 
			 
			 2006 (to date) Computer 0 0 
			  Laptop 8 8,000.00

Departmental Officials

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions officials from his Department dined with officials of the UDM/Vendside at the Carlton Towers Hotel in London.

Malcolm Wicks: Formal business with UDM/Vendside has been conducted through normal business meetings. I understand that there were occasions when those officials involved in such meetings had dinner with some members of the UDM/Vendside who were staying at this hotel. However, we do not have comprehensive records of these occasions. I should also add that similar occasions have occurred with the Claimants' Solicitors Group.

Departmental Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Data on the disabled status of civil servants, for the years requested, is available on the civil service website. The latest available data are as at April 2005 and these, together with previous years' data, can be found at the following website addresses:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report.2005/table_p.xls
	for data as at April 2005,
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/disability_apr04_4nov04.xls
	for data as at April 2004, and
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/archive/index.asp
	for previous reporting periods.
	Declaration of a disability is voluntary.

East Midlands Development Agency

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions the East Midlands Development Agency has invoked clawback procedures for funding it has provided to projects in the East Midlands region in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: The East Midlands Development Agency (emda) routinely builds clawback into grant funding contracts. The figure in the table represents occasions when a project has offered, or emda has requested clawback of grant funding.
	The long-term nature of clawback means that some of the reclaimed amounts in earlier years relates to projects delivered by emda's preceding bodies (EMDC, English Partnerships and the Rural Development Commission).
	
		
			  Financial year  Total number of projects  Total value of clawback (£)  Exclude clawback-projects delivered by preceding bodies (£)  Clawback-projects delivered by emda (£)  emda project expenditure (£)  Percentage of emda project expenditure reclaimed 
			 2001-02 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 2002-03 6 56,402 54,152 2,250 90,000 2.50 
			 2003-04 9 2,282,569 1,466,687 815,883 1,063,000 76.75 
			 2004-05 11 1,891,492 0 1,891,492 10,412,000 18.17 
			 2005-06 24 1,446,929 229,775 1,217,154 16,542,000 7.36 
			 Total 50 5,677,392 1,750,614 3,926,779 28,107,000 13.97 
		
	
	Of the total value of grant funding clawed back, over the last five financial years, £3,362,323 relates to the clawback of Gap Funding provided under the Partnership Investment Programme, a programme which emda inherited from English Partnerships. Under the terms of the programme English Partnerships provided the shortfall of funding to land developers, between the cost of developing a site and the likely future sales value. As part of the funding contract where the future sales value of a site was greater than that forecast, grant funding would be due back and hence the clawback of monies by emda.
	In addition a further £885,330 has been clawed back under the Single Regeneration Budget scheme where again, under the terms of the funding contract any profits made on schemes grant funded by emda must be repaid.
	The remaining balance of £1,429,739 consists of many small claims for clawback. This generally arises where there are contractual obligations to repay grant funding that has generated a profit, similar to the above schemes. In several other cases clawback has arisen where intermediary organisations, responsible for distributing grants on behalf of emda, have not distributed their full allocation of monies.

Energy Mis-selling

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps  (a) his Department and  (b) Ofgem have taken to prevent mis-selling to small businesses in the energy market.

Malcolm Wicks: The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) is responsible for the regulation of gas and electricity supply, including marketing. I understand that the Chairman of Ofgem will write to the hon. Member about the information he has sought.

Energy Review

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction of forecast volume of available supplies of UK sourced softwood on the Government's policy on co-firing as part of the Energy Review; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 14 December 2006
	As part of the Energy Review, the Government announced some proposed changes to the Renewables Obligation (RO). Following this, a consultation on the RO began on 9 October 2006. It is available in full through the following link:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/consultations/page34162.html
	The Government will consider the Forestry Commission's report United Kingdom: New Forecast of Softwood Availability as part of the consultation on the Renewables Obligation. The consultation closes on 15 December 2006 for the Renewables Obligation Order 2007. All responses and other relevant information will be considered together at this point.

Export Licensing via Internet Service Project

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on the Export Licensing via Internet Service Project, broken down by main budget heading.

Malcolm Wicks: The Export Licensing via Internet Service Project (ELVIS) is a DTI-only based system that was introduced to enable exporters to submit electronic export licence applications via the Internet.
	The Joined-up and More Efficient Working on Export Licensing (JEWEL) review, completed at the end of 2003, looked at ways of improving cooperation across the export licensing community, i.e. DTI, FCO, MOD and DfID, so as to deliver, collectively, a more efficient service to exporters consistent with achieving the Government's policy aims through the licensing system. One of its conclusions was to establish a cross-departmental electronic licensing system.
	The Shared Primary Information Resource Environment (SPIRE) programme is the successor to ELVIS and aims to fully automate the Export Control Licensing system from the receipt of applications (over the Internet), through to the issue of electronic licences. SPIRE is scheduled to go live in autumn 2007.
	The approved budget for SPIRE is £2.21 million, of which £434,000 has been spent to end October 2006.

Farepak

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made towards helping those in Ribble Valley constituency affected by the collapse of Farepak.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 29 November 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State cannot intervene in the conduct of an individual insolvency case.
	The company went into administration on13 October 2006. The administrators will seek to recover as much as they can for the benefit of all the company's creditors. They also have a duty to report to the creditors and consult them concerning proposals for the administration.
	A fund—the Farepak response fund—has been set up to make funds and distribute a goodwill gesture to those affected by the Farepak collapse. The goodwill gesture has now been distributed to all agents across the UK in the form of vouchers. In addition from Thursday 14 December food hampers will be distributed to all agents who have ordered hampers for them to distribute among their customers.

Gowers Review

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government plans to accept the recommendation of the Gowers Review on extending sound recording term of copyright.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government will take forward the recommendations in the Gowers Review for which it is responsible. The recommendation on sound recording term is one that is made to the European Commission. The Review has produced a comprehensive analysis of the arguments for and against extending sound recording term. No doubt the Commission will consider this analysis when it looks into the sound recording question.

Green Public Buildings

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many public buildings have  (a) solar panels and  (b) wind turbines.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government do not hold any data on how many public buildings have  (a) solar panels and  (b) wind turbines.
	However, under Government capital grant programmes for microgeneration technologies, we have committed funds to the following public building projects:
	
		
			  Number of grants 
			  Programme  Solar panels  Wind turbines 
			 Solar PV major demonstration 167 0 
			 Low carbon buildings 15 25 
			 Clear skies 0 50

Industrial Injuries: Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims have been submitted for  (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and  (b) hearing loss by BRM solicitors in each Nottinghamshire constituency.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of claims submitted for chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) and noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Constituency  COPD  NIHL 
			 Ashfield 706 31 
			 Bassetlaw 261 12 
			 Broxtowe 84 2 
			 Gedling 110 11 
			 Mansfield 482 21 
			 Newark 34 6 
			 Nottingham, East 51 1 
			 Nottingham, North 170 9 
			 Nottingham, South 42 1 
			 Rushcliffe 52 3 
			 Sherwood 618 24 
			 Total 2,610 121

Industrial Injuries: Claims

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many industrial injury claims have been submitted for  (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and  (b) vibration white finger without a postcode.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of industrial injury claims submitted for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and vibration white finger (VWF) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Claims registered( 1) 
			 COPD 13,423 
			 VWF 1,764 
			 (1) No Claimant postcode in ICMS.

Magazine Press

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of the in-house staff magazine of his Department for the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 4 December 2006
	I have arranged for copies of "DTI News" to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Manufacturing Industries

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many manufacturing jobs in Wales there are; how many there were in 1997; which jobs were  (a) created and  (b) lost in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The latest ONS employee jobs data estimates that there were 171,099 employee jobs in manufacturing in Wales in June 2006. The equivalent June 1997 figure for Wales is 210,376.
	ONS data shows that manufacturing output is experiencing some welcome revival in 2006, growing 1.6 per cent. by October, compared to the end of last year. Productivity growth in manufacturing, using the "per job" measure, was 3.5 per cent. in quarter two of this year, compared to the previous quarter. This was higher than the equivalent measure for the whole economy, which was 2.0 per cent. So whilst regrettably the decline in manufacturing jobs continues, manufacturing continues to contribute in an important way to economic output.
	The ONS could not provide the relevant job flows data required to answer parts  (a) and  (b).

MG Rover

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent in relation to the collapse of MG Rover, broken down by main budget heading.

Margaret Hodge: Following the collapse of MG Rover in April 2005, this Government made available up to £176.5 million over three years for MG Rover workers, suppliers and the community. In the event, the impact on MG Rover's suppliers and their workforce was not as severe as had been feared and the full amount set aside was not required. The total amount that is now budgeted to be spent is £126.5 million as set out as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Direct payments to employees (redundancy and pay in lieu of notice) 55.0 
			 Support for MG Rover suppliers 33.1 
			 Advantage Transition Bridge Fund (loan fund for companies under threat of insolvency) 25.0 
			 Training costs (additional to the normal arrangements for training) 9.4 
			 Contribution to regional innovation and technology programmes 4.0 
		
	
	In addition, a loan of £6.5 million was provided to the Administrators of MG Rover in April 2005 to allow them to seek a going concern sale. £1.3 million of that loan was subsequently repaid, given a net cost of £5.2 million.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills announced the appointment of Inspectors under the Companies Act to investigate and report on the affairs of the MG Rover Group, including Phoenix Venture Holdings Ltd. and MGR Capital Ltd. on 31 May 2005. The total costs of that inspection as at 30 November 2006 were £5,833,542 plus VAT of £1,076,553 and disbursements of £318,191. The investigation continues.

Miners' Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many coal miners have received compensation under the 1974 Coal Industry Pneumoconiosis Scheme since 2002, broken down by area.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 7 December 2006
	The following table details the number of miners and miner's widows/estates that have received compensation under the 1974 Coal Industry Pneumoconiosis Scheme since 1 January 2002. The data has been broken down by region.
	
		
			  Region/Status  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  Grand total 
			  Midlands   
			 Alive 33 46 42 24 10 155 
			 Deceased 27 36 25 28 33 149 
			 Midlands total 60 82 67 52 43 304 
			
			  North East   
			 Alive 11 72 55 26 15 179 
			 Deceased 11 29 23 29 25 117 
			 North East total 22 101 78 55 40 296 
			
			  Notts, Derbys and Leics   
			 Alive 82 355 433 304 61 1,235 
			 Deceased 52 97 47 42 27 265 
			 Notts, Derbys and Leics total 134 452 480 346 88 1,500 
			
			  Other   
			 Alive 6 6 4 4  20 
			 Deceased 8 17 23 15 13 76 
			 Other total 14 23 27 19 13 96 
			
			  Scotland   
			 Alive 8 22 9 6  45 
			 Deceased 3  5 37 13 58 
			 Scotland total 11 22 14 43 13 103 
			
			  South/South East   
			 Alive 7 10 6 5 3 31 
			 Deceased 5 6 9 4 1 25 
			 South/South East total 12 16 15 9 4 56 
			
			  Wales   
			 Alive 30 164 70 128 56 448 
			 Deceased 41 72 44 151 101 409 
			 Wales total 71 236 114 279 157 857 
			
			  Yorkshire   
			 Alive 95 220 89 71 32 507 
			 Deceased 76 167 105 63 57 468 
			 Yorkshire total 171 387 194 134 89 975 
			
			 Grand total 495 1,319 989 937 447 4,187

New Businesses

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of new businesses in Wantage constituency in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: VAT registration and de-registration data provide the best official guide to the pattern of business start-ups and closures. The following table shows the number of VAT registrations in Wantage constituency in each year since 1997. The number of VAT de-registrations, the start of year stock of VAT registered businesses and the net change in stock (registrations less de-registrations) for each year are also shown.
	VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million enterprises (42 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2005. Similarly, not all businesses that de-register will necessarily have closed.
	
		
			  VAT registrations, de-registrations, start of year stock and net change, Wantage constituency, 1997-2005( 1) 
			   VAT registrations  VAT de-registrations  VAT Stock at start of year  Net change 
			 1997 395 270 3,320 125 
			 1998 390 270 3,445 120 
			 1999 380 295 3,565 85 
			 2000 410 320 3,650 90 
			 2001 350 260 3,740 90 
			 2002 405 290 3,830 115 
			 2003 380 290 3,945 90 
			 2004 425 290 4,035 135 
			 2005 390 315 4,170 75 
			 (1) Stock may not exactly match previous year's stock plus registrations minus de-registrations due to rounding.  Note: The VAT registrations data are also available from the Libraries of the House.  Source: Small Business Service, available from www.sbs.gov.uk/vat.

Nuclear Safeguards

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the state of the lining of the nuclear reactors on generating output; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 5 December 2006
	Operational issues are a matter for the operators of the nuclear power stations.

Office for Disability Issues

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why his Department does not have a ministerial representative on the ministerial group which oversees the Office for Disability Issues.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 14 December 2006
	I keep closely in touch with developments in respect of the Life Chances of Disabled People and will represent DTI when necessary at meetings of the ministerial group that oversees the Office for Disability Issues.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cars run by his Department were manufactured  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information on cars operated by the Government Car and Despatch Agency is available on page 14 of its Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House for the reference of Members.
	The country of manufacture is not provided by suppliers of DTI provided vehicles and the information is not therefore available.

Parliamentary Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will answer the questiontabled by the hon. Member for Forest of Dean on21 November 2006, reference 102594, on social research.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My apologies for the delay in answering this question. The question was answered today—PQ No.102594.

Polonium 210

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which facilities in the United Kingdom  (a) have been used in the past and  (b) are used to produce polonium-210; and what quantities of polonium-210 were produced in UK facilities in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: Separated polonium-210 is usually produced by extraction from the irradiation of dedicated bismuth targets. No operating civil reactors in the UK are currently used for this purpose and the environment agencies (EA and SEPA), who regulate the accumulation and disposal of radioactive substances, are not aware of any premises that manufacture polonium-210 in the UK. Information provided by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and others indicates that no polonium-210 has been produced in civil reactors for at least the last five years. Abstracting the historical data for a greater period would incur excessive costs.

Regional Development Agencies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many long-term jobs were created over 2005-06 by each of the regional development agencies.

Margaret Hodge: Information on the number of jobs created in 2005-06 as a result of regional development agency activity is available in the Libraries of the House. I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 93-94WS.

Rogue Traders

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Unfair Commercial Protection Directive will affect rogue traders.

Ian McCartney: The implementation of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive will improve consumer protection against rogue traders. The regulations implementing the Directive will provide equivalent or better protections than existing laws aimed at tackling rogue traders. The regulations will create a general duty on traders not to treat consumers unfairly, as well as prohibiting misleading actions and omissions and aggressive practices. It also outlaws 31 specific practices that rogues might carry out, including bogus closing down sales, persistent telesales calls and bogus prize draws.

Rogue Traders

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance he has issued on the effect of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive on the powers conferred on officers by the  (a) Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and  (b) Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Ian McCartney: We have worked extensively with stakeholders including trading standards officers in developing our proposals to implement the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive which I published on 11 December.
	This set out my intention to repeal domestic legislation which overlaps with the Directive including the Trade Descriptions Act and Part III of the Consumer Protection Act. This is possible because the regulations implementing the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive will provide equivalent or better protections than these laws. The sanctions and investigative powers in these pieces of legislation will be transferred to the new regulations so that there will be no diminution in trading standards ability to tackle rouge traders.

Small Business Energy Bills

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information his Department provides to assist small businesses in the energy market.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department for Trade and Industry and the Small Business Service provides generic information to small businesses across all sectors, including Energy, through the Business Link network.
	We strongly encourage people to approach their local Business Link to find out what information and support is available in their region. Business Link provides information, advice and support to all businesses seeking to start or grow their business. Business Link will be able to signpost users to initiatives that are available from other Government Departments, Regional Development Agencies, local authorities, and other organisations.
	On energy, these initiatives include the Energywatch/Federation of Small Businesses 'Make the Connection' campaign to spread best practice in energy purchasing. Ofgem also run a small and medium user group and a non-domestic review group to provide practical advice and information for small businesses.

Smart Metering

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government have examined the effectiveness of smart metering systems in other European markets.

Malcolm Wicks: Ofgem looked at international experience of installing and using smarter metering as part of its review of domestic metering innovation earlier this year. That review concluded that international examples had limited relevance to the UK metering market.
	The Government will shortly launch a trial of smart meters in the UK.

Social Research

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of Government social research in his Department in each of the last five years; how many projects were completed in that period; and how many people are employed in such research.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Government social researchers in DTI are co-located in four specialist units with other analysts (economists and statisticians). The Department's management information system does not provide a facility that would allow it to separate out the cost of Government social research or to provide the number of Government social research projects completed in each of the last five years. There are currently 21 Government social research projects employed in DTI including six in the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

Special Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of his Department's civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Special advisers in DTI are supported by two members of staff. These staff are employed to provide support of a non-political nature in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
	Individual civil servants' salary details are not disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.

Uranium Supplies

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the quantity and quality of uranium supplies in the period 2010 to 2050.

Malcolm Wicks: As part of the Energy Review, the Department reviewed a number of studies on the future quantity and quality of uranium supplies. Based on recent reports by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the Sustainable Development Commission indicating that sufficient high-grade uranium resources exist beyond 2050, the Department considers that uranium resources are sufficient to meet future world energy demands at current and increased levels.

TREASURY

11 Downing Street: Official Hospitality

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) official and  (b) charity receptions he has held at No. 11 Downing street in the last five years; and what the (i) date and (ii) cost was of each.

John Healey: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

2012 Olympics

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the amount of programme contingency to be included in the revised 2012 Olympic budget; and which Department will have responsibility for setting the level of programme contingency;
	(2)  whether the Treasury will hold and administer the programme contingency fund to be included in the final Olympic budget.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 830W. Discussions are ongoing with DCMS and the ODA on all aspects of Olympic costs and funding.

2012 Olympics

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on responsibility for cost overruns relating to the 2012 Olympics; and which Department holds overall responsibility for any such overruns.

John Healey: Discussions are ongoing with DCMS and the ODA on Olympic costs and funding. The2003 Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London provides for cost overruns to be met in a sharing arrangement to be agreed as appropriate between them.

Agency Staff

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the numbers of employees who were employed on  (a) short-term contracts,  (b) fixed-term appointments and  (c) on an agency supply basis in each region in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2005, broken down by (A) full-time and (B) part-time workers.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 18 December 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the numbers of employees who are employed on (a) short-term contracts, (b) fixed-term appointments and (c) on an agency supply basis in each region for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005 broken down by full-time and part-time workers. I am replying in her absence. (108667)
	The three tables attached give estimates of temporary employees by reason given for the job not being permanent, and by those who were full-time or part-time workers for the twelve month period ending February 2004, and for the twelve month periods ending December 2004 and 2005.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and from the Annual Population Survey (APS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS and APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Temporary employees( 1)  whether working full or part-time by type of temporary job and region of residence, 2003, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending February 2004  United Kingdom  North East  North West  Yorkshire and Humberside  East Midlands  West Midlands  East 
			  Total( 2)
			 All temporary employees(3) 1,462 64 153 127 88 117 123 
			 Seasonal work 89 3 9 7 4 6 60 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 659 36 72 56 42 44 49 
			 Agency temping 248 8 23 20 15 32 25 
			 Casual work 300 11 29 24 19 25 22 
			 Not permanent in some other way 166 6 19 19 8 10 17 
			 
			  Full-time
			 All temporary employees(3) 751 37 78 60 43 56 61 
			 Seasonal work 32 1 3 1 2 2 4 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 421 25 45 34 23 24 29 
			 Agency temping 180 6 17 14 10 23 20 
			 Casual work 47 1 5 3 4 3 2 
			 Not permanent in some other way 70 4 7 7 3 5 7 
			 
			  Part-time
			 All temporary employees(3) 709 27 75 67 45 60 62 
			 Seasonal work 56 2 6 6 2 5 7 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 238 11 28 22 18 20 20 
			 Agency temping 67 2 6 6 4 9 5 
			 Casual work 252 9 23 21 15 22 20 
			 Not permanent in some other way 95 3 12 12 5 5 10 
		
	
	
		
			   London  South East  South West  Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland 
			  Total( 2)   
			 All temporary employees(3) 207 202 134 76 136 36 
			 Seasonal work 5 12 15 4 11 2 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 88 91 53 37 75 15 
			 Agency temping 47 34 20 10 13 2 
			 Casual work 46 47 29 16 21 11 
			 Not permanent in some other way 21 19 16 9 17 5 
			
			  Full-time   
			 All temporary employees(3) 117 104 60 39 79 16 
			 Seasonal work 1 5 6 2 5 (4)— 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 63 60 30 24 52 11 
			 Agency temping 35 24 13 7 10 1 
			 Casual work 7 8 5 3 4 1 
			 Not permanent in some other way 10 6 6 4 9 3 
			
			  Part-time   
			 All temporary employees(3) 90 98 74 36 56 19 
			 Seasonal work 4 6 9 2 6 2 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 25 31 23 13 23 4 
			 Agency temping 12 9 7 3 3 1 
			 Casual work 39 39 24 13 17 10 
			 Not permanent in some other way 11 13 10 5 7 3 
			 (1) Temporary employees in the LFS are those who say that their main job is non-permanent in one of the ways listed in the table. (2) Includes people who did not state whether working full or part-time. (3) Includes people who did not state type of temporary work. (4) Estimates are taken from the LFS. Samples sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates.  Source: ONS Annual Labour Force Survey (LFS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Temporary employees( 1)  whether working full or part-time by type of temporary job and region of residence, 2004, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending December 2004  United Kingdom  North East  North West  Yorkshire and Humberside  East Midlands  West Midlands  East 
			  Total( 2)
			 All temporary employees(3) 1,436 70 141 126 95 114 115 
			 Seasonal work 94 4 7 7 7 6 9 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 647 36 65 56 38 45 49 
			 Agency temping 220 10 22 19 18 24 18 
			 Casual work 291 11 29 24 16 26 27 
			 Not permanent in some other way 184 9 17 19 15 13 13 
			 
			  Full-time
			 All temporary employees(3) 730 41 71 65 45 58 51 
			 Seasonal work 36 1 3 3 3 2 2 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 414 24 42 33 22 28 28 
			 Agency temping 156 7 15 15 12 19 13 
			 Casual work 43 3 4 4 2 3 3 
			 Not permanent in some other way 81 5 8 11 6 6 5 
			 
			  Part-time
			 All temporary employees(3) 705 29 70 61 50 55 64 
			 Seasonal work 57 3 4 4 4 4 7 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 233 11 23 23 16 16 21 
			 Agency temping 64 3 8 5 6 5 5 
			 Casual work 247 8 25 20 14 23 24 
			 Not permanent in some other way 103 4 9 9 10 7 8 
		
	
	
		
			   London  South East  South West  Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland 
			  Total( 2)   
			 All temporary employees(3) 192 196 119 75 150 42 
			 Seasonal work 6 9 13 7 15 3 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 88 93 48 34 77 20 
			 Agency temping 35 31 21 8 12 3 
			 Casual work 41 38 26 16 26 10 
			 Not permanent in some other way 22 25 12 11 21 6 
			
			  Full-time   
			 All temporary employees(3) 104 95 56 38 86 18 
			 Seasonal work 2 4 4 3 7 1 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 63 56 30 22 54 11 
			 Agency temping 25 21 13 6 9 2 
			 Casual work 6 5 4 3 5 1 
			 Not permanent in some other way 8 9 5 5 11 2 
			
			  Part-time   
			 All temporary employees(3) 88 101 63 37 63 24 
			 Seasonal work 4 5 8 4 8 2 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 25 36 18 12 23 8 
			 Agency temping 10 10 8 2 3 1 
			 Casual work 35 34 23 12 21 9 
			 Not permanent in some other way 14 16 7 6 9 4 
			 (1) Temporary employees in the LFS are those who say that their main job is non-permanent in one of the ways listed in the table. (2) Includes people who did not state whether working full or part-time. (3) Includes people who did not state type of temporary work.  Source: ONS Annual Population Survey (APS). 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Temporary employees( 1)  whether working full or part-time by type of temporary job and region of residence, 2005, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending December 2005  United Kingdom  North East  North West  Yorkshire and Humberside  East Midlands  West Midlands  East 
			  Total( 2)
			 All temporary employees(3) 1,346 64 130 116 90 103 115 
			 Seasonal work 92 4 6 6 6 5 6 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 608 32 60 53 39 41 50 
			 Agency temping 222 10 22 22 14 24 22 
			 Casual work 263 11 25 22 19 22 23 
			 Not permanent in some other way 160 7 16 13 12 11 13 
			 
			  Full-time
			 All temporary employees(3) 688 37 66 60 45 49 56 
			 Seasonal work 37 2 3 3 3 1 3 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 383 23 37 33 23 23 30 
			 Agency temping 159 7 16 17 11 18 16 
			 Casual work 41 2 2 2 5 2 3 
			 Not permanent in some other way 68 3 8 5 3 6 4 
			 
			  Part-time
			 All temporary employees(3) 657 27 64 55 45 53 59 
			 Seasonal work 55 2 4 3 3 4 4 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 225 9 23 20 16 18 20 
			 Agency temping 62 2 6 5 3 6 6 
			 Casual work 222 10 23 20 14 21 20 
			 Not permanent in some other way 92 4 8 7 9 4 9 
		
	
	
		
			   London  South East  South West  Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland 
			  Total( 2)   
			 All temporary employees(3) 178 194 120 67 135 34 
			 Seasonal work 7 15 16 5 12 4 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 73 91 48 35 71 14 
			 Agency temping 38 34 17 6 11 3 
			 Casual work 36 35 23 13 24 8 
			 Not permanent in some other way 23 20 16 8 17 4 
			
			  Full-time   
			 All temporary employees(3) 100 95 53 35 76 15 
			 Seasonal work 1 7 6 2 5 1 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 56 55 27 22 47 8 
			 Agency temping 25 22 11 4 9 2 
			 Casual work 7 5 3 3 6 2 
			 Not permanent in some other way 12 6 6 3 9 2 
			
			  Part-time   
			 All temporary employees(3) 77 99 67 33 60 18 
			 Seasonal work 5 8 10 3 7 3 
			 Contract for fixed period fixed task 18 36 21 14 24 6 
			 Agency temping 13 12 6 2 2 1 
			 Casual work 30 30 20 10 18 7 
			 Not permanent in some other way 12 13 10 5 8 2 
			 (1) Temporary employees in the LFS are those who say that their main job is non-permanent in one of the ways listed in the table. (2) Includes people who did not state whether working full or part-time. (3) Includes people who did not state type of temporary work.  Source: ONS Annual Population Survey (APS).

Air Travel

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has an aim of reducing air travel by departmental officials within the UK.

John Healey: All departmental travel is conducted in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code. The Treasury is contributing to the carbon offsetting fund, co-ordinated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to offset emissions from flights on departmental business from April 2006. The Department also encourages the use of video conferencing to reduce official travel.

Carbon Emissions

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will convert the figure of $85 per tonne of carbon in 2000, given on page xvi of the Stern Review as the social cost of carbon, into the equivalent expressed as per tonne of carbon in pounds sterling at current prices; and what this figure would be adjusted to take account of Stern's finding that the social cost of carbon rises over time.

John Healey: The Government Economic Service working paper "Estimating the Social Cost of Carbon Emissions" suggests illustrative values for the social damage cost of carbon that can be used to estimate the monetary value of impacts once they have been quantified. Though subject to significant levels of uncertainty, this paper suggested £70/tC, within a range of £35 to £140/tC, as an illustrative estimate for the global damage cost of carbon emissions, rising by £1/tC per year in real terms to reflect the increasing marginal cost of emissions over time. We are in the process of re-examining the issue of the social cost of carbon, with the Stern Review on the economics of climate change informing our conclusions.

Carbon Emissions

Colin Challen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions it is estimated will be saved as a result of the rise in  (a) fuel duty and  (b) airport passenger duty announced in the pre-Budget report.

John Healey: Inflation based increases are already factored into Government forecasts for carbon emissions and therefore this increase in fuel duty will not impact on this. However, if rates had been frozen, we forecast that carbon emissions would have been 0.16MtC higher in 2010-11 (or 0.15MtC higher on average in each of the next five years).
	An estimation of the carbon savings expected as a result of the increase in air passenger duty was published in the 2006 pre-Budget report. This can be found in Table 7.2, using the following link:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/571/CF/pbr06_chapter7.pdf.

Child Trust Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children were eligible for child trust fund vouchers in 2005-06; and how many children have been so eligible in 2006-07.

Edward Balls: In 2005-06, 935,000 Child Trust Fund vouchers were issued to eligible children. In 2006-07, 135,000 Child Trust Fund vouchers have been issued to eligible children to June 2006, as set out in the latest published figures which are published quarterly at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm

Child Trust Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of eligible children in households in the bottom income decile in the UK have  (a) received child trust fund vouchers and  (b) had child trust fund accounts opened for them.

Edward Balls: All eligible children will receive a Child Trust Fund voucher.
	All eligible children will have an account opened for them. If the child's parents do not use the Child Trust Fund voucher within 12 months to open an account, HMRC will open an account on the child's behalf.
	A detailed distributional analysis looking at take up by income group will be published in 2007.

Child Trust Fund

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of child trust fund accounts have not been opened.

Edward Balls: The latest set of Child Trust Fund account opening statistics was published by HM Revenue and Customs on 29 September at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm
	These show that over 75 per cent. of parents are using their child's voucher to open a Child Trust Fund account.

Childcare Vouchers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the merits of extending tax relief for child care vouchers to cover the care of adults; what assessment he has made of the potential effect of this change on the employment of  (a) carers,  (b) older workers and  (c) women in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government currently have no plans to extend tax relief for child care vouchers to cover the care of adults.
	The Government have to look carefully at the costs and benefits of any proposal when making an assessment of the economic case for intervention in this area.

Climate Change Levy

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the revenue has been from the  (a) public and  (b) private sector from the climate change levy.

John Healey: Climate change levy receipts were£744 million in 2005-06. It is not possible to break this figure down between the public and private sectors because HMRC collects the levy from energy suppliers as opposed to individual businesses and public sector organisations.
	However, estimates set out in the Cambridge Econometrics report: "Modelling the Initial Effectsof the Climate Change Levy", available at www.hmrc.gov.uk, suggest that around 20-25 per cent. of climate change levy revenue is from the public sector.

Compensation Payments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many compensation payments were made by the tax credits section of his Department in each month from May to October 2006; what the total value of such payments was in each quarter since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The circumstances in which HM Revenue and Customs will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department's Code of Practice 1 "Putting things right" which is available atwww.hmrc.gov.uk. The Department will pay compensation for reasonable costs incurred as a direct result of its mistakes or delays and to recognise worry and distress caused by those mistakes and delays. It does not keep separate details of compensation payments made specifically due to "maladministration" or "poor service".
	For the number and value of compensation payments made up to 30 September 2006, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right. hon. Friend the Paymaster General gave him on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 2027-28.
	Around 545 compensation payments were made in the month ending 31 October 2006. The value of compensation payments made in the current quarter will be available in January 2007.

Copyright Directive

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he plans to make to the European Commission's review of the Copyright Directive.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	In line with the Government's response to the Gowers report we will be informing the Commission of those recommendations which fall within the Commission's area of competence. With respect to the Directive on Copyright and the Information Society 2001/29 this includes provisions for the use of orphan works and the creation of derivative works.

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential impact on UK finances of proposals to reduce the rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The corporation tax regime is a UK-wide system and to introduce different rates in one part of the UK could distort competition.
	Many companies trade in different regions of the UK. It would not be easy to determine the proportion of their profits liable at a 'devolved' rate. In addition, such a measure could also create opportunities for some companies to manipulate the rules in order to benefit from the lower rate. This may well result in a system that would place a significant administrative burden on both businesses and the Government.
	Following a ruling by the European Court of Justice (the 'Azores ruling') in September 2006, it is also clear that introducing lower regional rates of CT in the UK would violate EU law.

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from  (a) trade union and  (b) business interests in Northern Ireland on proposals to reduce the rate of corporation tax in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have received the Economic Research Institute of Northern Ireland's report 'Assessing the case for a Differential Rate of Corporation Tax in Northern Ireland'.

Correspondence

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter of17 August 2006 from the hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire on the TOGs Calendar.

Dawn Primarolo: As I outlined in my letter of18 October 2006 to the hon. Member, this issue is being considered and I hope to be in a position to respond shortly.

Council for Science and Technology

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which members of the Council for Science and Technology presented the report Technology Matters to him in February 2000.

John Healey: The Council for Science and Technology report 'Technology Matters' was published in February 2000. The work was led by Professor Sir Alec Broers. The other members of the group were Professor Kumar Bhattacharyya, Dr. Chris Evans, Sir Robin Nicholson, Dr. David Potter, Miss Emma Rothschild and Mr. J Martin Taylor, assisted by Professor Alan Hughes, Director of the ESRC Centre for Business Research, university of Cambridge.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss the possible funding mechanism for the Crossrail project.

Stephen Timms: The Chancellor holds regular discussions with all his Cabinet colleagues and covers a range of issues.

Cultural Goods: Seizures

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what cultural goods have been seized by HM Revenue and Customs in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In the financial year 2005-06 HM Revenue and Customs seized 2,064 cultural objects, consisting of:
	1,951 items of archaeological material from United Kingdom, including 426 coins over 50 years old, musket balls, buttons and a variety of small household and personal items;
	104 items of archaeological material from Southern Asia;
	6 religious statues from India;
	2 religious statues from Cambodia; and
	1 early 19th century necklace from the United Kingdom.

Departmental Conferences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which conferences with fewer than 100 attendees have been funded in whole or part by his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost to his Department was of each conference.

John Healey: Information relating to conferences and meetings at which fewer than 100 people participated could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Financial Management

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide the ranking covering financial management and delivery planning referred to in the first indent of box 7C of the Department for International Development's annual report page 200, for each Government Department.

Edward Balls: The Treasury commends DFID for the progress it has made in improving financial management and delivery planning. However the Treasury has not drawn up any rankings for Departments in these areas.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were employed through employment agencies in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest time was for which these temporary workers were employed in each year.

John Healey: The information requested is not available in respect of HM Treasury, the Office for National Statistics, HM Revenue and Customs, the Debt Management Office and the Government Actuary's Department. Details relating to other departments and agencies in the years for which information is available are given below:
	
		
			   Office of Government Commerce  OGCbuying.solutions  National Savings and Investments  Royal Mint( 1)  Valuation Office Agency( 1) 
			  2001-02  
			 Agency staff — — — Nil — 
			 Average period — — — — — 
			 Longest period — — — — — 
			   
			  2002-03  
			 Agency staff — — — 18 — 
			 Average period — — — 17 weeks — 
			 Longest period — — — 28 weeks — 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Agency staff — — — 12 — 
			 Average period — — — 52 weeks — 
			 Longest period — — — 52 weeks — 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 Agency staff 15 50 — Nil — 
			 Average period 26 weeks 1 month — — — 
			 Longest period 26 weeks 4 months — — — 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Agency staff 57 59 22 Nil 57 
			 Average period 35 weeks 1 month 5.5 months — 4 weeks 
			 Longest period 52 weeks 7 months 1 year — 6 weeks 
			   
			  2006-07( 2)  
			 Agency staff 49 11 — — 108 
			 Average period 35 weeks 1 month — — 8 weeks 
			 Longest period 52 weeks 6 months — — 38 weeks 
			 (1) Royal Mint and VOA figures relate to calendar years (2) To date

Departmental Staff

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department earn  (a) £25,000-£49,999,  (b) £50,000-£100,000 and  (c) over £100,000 per year.

John Healey: HM Treasury's departmental report (Cm 6830, May 2006) sets out staff numbers by pay range. Report no. 62 of the Review Body on Senior Salaries (Cm 6727, March 2006) sets out salary bands for the senior civil service. Pay ranges for Treasury staff in ranges below these grades are:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Range  Minimum  Normal maximum  High performance maximum 
			 A 14,549 16,690 18,278 
			 B 16,340 20,225 22,978 
			 C 19,502 25,934 27,156 
			 D 24,264 37,130 41,856 
			 E 40,439 56,101 62,601

Departmental Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed on each pay grade in his Department; and what changes he expects to the number and percentage at each grade over the next three years.

John Healey: holding answer 14 December 2006
	Chart 6.2 of HM Treasury's departmental report (6830) sets out staff in each pay range. Table 6 sets out staff numbers across the Treasury Group, including plans for the years to 2007-08. Plans for the years beyond 2007-08 will be set as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost was of salaries for new staff in his Department in the last 12 months.

John Healey: The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Travel

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the procedures are within his Department for authorising  (a) foreign visits by departmental staff on official business when not accompanying a Minister and  (b) away day meetings by departmental staff outside Government offices.

John Healey: Foreign travel and away days that arein furtherance of the Treasury's objectives may be authorised by budget holders subject to the normal rules in the Civil Service Code and the availability of funds within the relevant budget. All staff travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Civil Service Management Code".

Economic Activity: Milton Keynes

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rates of  (a) male and  (b) female economic activity were in each local government ward in Milton Keynes in each year since 1979.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 December 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about economic activity. (109058)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics, of economic activity from the Labour Force Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions. However, estimates of economic activity are not available for wards as the survey sample size for such areas is too small.
	Tables 1 to 3, attached, show economic activity rates for all persons of working age, males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59, resident in wards within Milton Keynes from the 1981, 1991 and 2001 Censuses of Population respectively.
	
		
			  Table 1: Economic activity rates for persons of working age resident in wards within Milton Keynes; 1981 
			  Percentage 
			   Economic activity rate 
			  Ward( 1)  All  Male  Female 
			 Bradwell 80 95 62 
			 Church Green 78 92 62 
			 Danesborough 79 93 64 
			 Denbigh 81 94 68 
			 Eaton 71 93 49 
			 Fenny Stratford 77 92 59 
			 Lavendon 75 93 55 
			 Linford 78 95 60 
			 Loughton 82 97 65 
			 Manor Farm 80 95 4 
			 Newport Pagnell 78 95 61 
			 Newton 80 94 5 
			 Olney 76 93 59 
			 Pineham 76 93 58 
			 Sherington 74 94 54 
			 Stantonbury 77 95 57 
			 Stony Stratford 77 93 59 
			 Whaddon 79 94 63 
			 Woburn Sands 79 92 64 
			 Wolverton 78 94 60 
			 Wolverton Stacey Bushes 73 94 52 
			 Woughton 75 94 56 
			 
			 Milton Keynes 77 94 60 
			 (1) 1981 frozen wards.  Note: Working age is defined as males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  Source: 1981 Census. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Economic activity rates for persons of working age resident in wards within Milton Keynes; 1991 
			  Percentage 
			   Economic activity rate 
			  Ward( 1)  All  Male  Female 
			 Bradwell 80 92 67 
			 Church Green 77 93 60 
			 Danesborough 81 92 69 
			 Denbigh 79 92 65 
			 Eaton 70 89 52 
			 Fenny Stratford 74 38 59 
			 Lavendon 76 90 59 
			 Linford 79 92 67 
			 Loughton 84 95 73 
			 Manor Farm 79 91 66 
			 Newport Pagnell 82 93 69 
			 Newton 81 93 68 
			 Olney 80 93 66 
			 Pineham 81 93 69 
			 Sherington 77 90 63 
			 Stantonbury 81 92 66 
			 Stony Stratford 78 90 66 
			 Whaddon 79 91 66 
			 Woburn Sands 79 89 68 
			 Wolverton 78 91 64 
			 Wolverton Stacey Bushes 82 93 71 
			 Woughton 78 90 67 
			 Milton Keynes 79 92 67 
			 (1) 1991 frozen wards.  Note: Working age is defined as males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  Source: 1991 Census. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Economic activity rates for persons of working age resident in wards within Milton Keynes; 2001 
			  Percentage 
			   Economic activity rate 
			  Ward( 1)  All  Male  Female 
			 Bletchley and Fenny Stratford 81 87 75 
			 Bradwell 82 88 76 
			 Campbell Park 79 85 73 
			 Danesborough 84 90 77 
			 Denbigh 83 88 78 
			 Eaton Manor 75 85 65 
			 Emerson Valley 86 92 79 
			 Furzton 85 91 79 
			 Hanslope Park 84 89 79 
			 Linford North 83 88 79 
			 Linford South 82 88 75 
			 Loughton Park 81 83 77 
			 Middleton 85 92 79 
			 Newport Pagnell North 87 91 82 
			 Newport Pagnell South 87 91 83 
			 Olney 85 92 78 
			 Sherington 81 88 74 
			 Stantonbury 82 88 76 
			 Stony Stratford 82 88 77 
			 Walton Park 85 92 77 
			 Whaddon 84 89 78 
			 Wolverton 81 87 73 
			 Woughton 70 77 62 
			 Milton Keynes 82 88 76 
			 (1) Census Area Statistics wards.  Note: Working age is defined as males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  Source: 2001 Census.

Education Buildings: VAT

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the total amount of VAT collected from buildings used for educational purposes in each local authority in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the total amount of VAT levied under the Building Schools for the Future programme in each year since the programme was established; and how much he estimates will be levied in each of the next three years;
	(3)  what guidelines HM Revenue and Customs has provided to local authorities on Building Schools for the Future and VAT; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each set of guidelines.

Dawn Primarolo: All bodies, whether in the public or private sector, incur VAT when they purchase goods and services.
	While there are certain special schemes designed to provide VAT refunds to certain public bodies in relation to specific purchases or activities, the normal principle of public funding is that VAT, like any other cost, should be taken into account within the funding allocated to those bodies. This is the way the VAT system has worked in relation to public bodies since its introduction in 1973.
	The normal VAT liability rules apply to all public sector capital spending projects, including those carried out under the BSF Programme—i.e. that VAT is chargeable on non-residential new build or renewal work to non-listed buildings, except where the body concerned is a charity and the building is used at least 90 per cent. for a relevant charitable purpose.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have discussed VAT and Building Schools for the Future (BSF) with local authority representatives. All advice provided to date on VAT and BSF is covered by the usual rules of taxpayer confidentiality, and no general guidelines have been published. HMRC and HM Treasury remain in close contact with DfES, local authorities and local authority representative groups on this matter.
	HMRC does not hold detailed figures on any VAT that has previously been collected on buildings used for educational purposes; on any VAT charged on BSF projects to date; or on any VAT which may be levied on such projects in the next three years.
	However, if any VAT is chargeable on BSF projects, this will in general be reclaimable by a local authority where it relates to its statutory non-business functions, such as the delivery of free education.
	VAT is also reclaimable by a local authority in relation to taxable supplies, and to exempt activities where the amount of this VAT is insignificant. Where VAT is incurred by a non-local authority school, this will be reclaimable under the normal VAT rules, to the extent that it relates to taxable business activities.
	As previously stated, if any VAT is charged on a BSF project and is not reclaimable, it will in general be taken into account in the funding allocated to the spending body.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints he received about the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) in the last 12 months; what representations he received on the accountability of the FOS to the Financial Services Authority; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the FOS in dealing with complaints; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: I regret that the information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Treasury's correspondence handling system does not categorise correspondence to the degree requested.
	The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is operationally independent from Government. The steps taken by the Financial Ombudsman Service to deal with the demands it faces are detailed in its Corporate Plan and budget 2006-07 published in January 2006.

Freedom of Information

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it has ever been his Department's policy to place all information provided in response to freedom of information requests on the internet.

John Healey: It has not been the practice of the Treasury to place all FOI releases on the internet. The Department's policy is explained on our website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/

Furniture

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on furniture made by British firms in each year since 2000.

John Healey: The Treasury's accounting system does not hold expenditure data by country of origin and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Gowers Review of Intellectual Property

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport andthe Department of Trade and Industry on the conclusions of the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers and Officials have discussion with a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors including Whitehall departments as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Gowers Review of Intellectual Property

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to make a formal response to the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government has to publish a formal response to the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property.

John Healey: A formal response to the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property was already been made in the 2006 pre-Budget report.

Hedonics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on  (a) total public expenditure and  (b) expenditure on benefits since March 2004 of the incorporation of hedonics into the determination of the retail prices index.

John Healey: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) applies hedonic methods as a means of quality adjusting prices for a limited range of goods, including personal computers and laptops. The ONS no longer publishes the retail prices index (RPI) on the basis of the methods used prior to the introduction of hedonic methods. Therefore, estimates of the impact of incorporating hedonic methods on the RPI, and hence any effects on public expenditure, are not readily available. However, there is a presumption that any such effects are likely to be small: when hedonic methods were first introduced into the consumer prices index in 2003 the ONS noted that 'the change would have had little impact on the overall published index'.
	 Source:
	"Economic Trends" March 2003 (No. 592).

HM Revenue and Customs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average amount of time spent was by HM Revenue and Customs' staff in dealing with telephone calls in the last period for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: The breakdown of information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

HM Revenue and Customs

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the review of individual HM Revenue and Customs offices will begin; and whether any redundancies are expected to occur at these offices in advance of the review concluding.

Dawn Primarolo: The Regional Review programme announced on 16 November has already begun and decisions on specific offices will be made and announced following consultation. The first such announcements are expected in 2007. The full programme, including implementation, will continue for a number of years, with reviews of 'individual' offices commencing in April 2008.
	HMRC has a no redundancy agreement with the recognised trade unions until September 2007. It is not possible at this stage to say whether that might be extended.

House Prices

Ben Chapman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the disparity in house prices between the North and South of England on the British economy.

John Healey: The Barker Review of Housing Supply acknowledged that growing disparities in house prices between regions could have a damaging impact on labour market mobility. In its response to the Barker Review the Government set out plans to improve affordability by increasing housing supply, including setting the goal of increasing net additions to the housing stock to 200,000 per year by 2016. So far good progress has been made with new housing completions reaching 165,000 in the year to September 2006, the highest level since 1990
	In addition, funding for housing market renewal areas, in the north and midlands, was trebled in the 2004 Spending Review.

Identity Cards Act

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual revenue which will accrue from civil financial penalties imposed under the Identity Cards Act 2006.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury has not made any estimates of annual revenue which may accrue from civil financial penalties imposed under the Identity Cards Act 2006. The draft code of practice published by the Identity and Passport Service in December 2005 states that the civil penalty scheme is not intended to be punitive or revenue-raising. It is intended to establish a mechanism which delivers a proportionate means of ensuring compliance with the terms of the Act.

Iraq: Reparation Payments

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which UK  (a) companies and  (b) institutes have received reparation payments from the government of Iraq in each of the last three years; and how much they received.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	To date the United Nations Compensation Commission has made available the sum of US$427,534,014.57 to the Government for payment to UK claimants.
	Nearly 5,000 UK claimants have so far received disbursements of varying amounts from the Government. A breakdown of these figures is not held centrally.
	To release the specific information requested would require the permission of each individual company and institution concerned. It is therefore not possible to provide such information without incurring disproportionate cost.

Life Expectancy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average  (a) male and  (b) female life expectancy at birth was in each three-year period since 1978 to 1980 in (i) England and (ii) the fifth of local authorities with the lowest life expectancy at birth.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 December 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average  (a) male and  (b) female life expectancy at birth was in each three-year period since 1978 to 1980 in (i) England and (ii) the fifth of local authorities with the lowest life expectancy at birth. (109631)
	Figures for life expectancy at birth for local authorities in England are only available from 1991-93 onwards. The latest available figures are for 2003-05. The figures requested from 1991-93 to 2003-05 are included in the table below.
	
		
			  Life expectancy at birth for England, and the aggregated fifth of local authorities in England with the lowest life expectancy results,( 1)  1991-93 to 2003-05 
			  Life expectancy at birth (years) 
			   England  Lowest fifth of local authorities( 1) 
			  Males   
			 1991-93 73.7 71.9 
			 1992-94 74.0 72.1 
			 1993-95 74.2 72.3 
			 1994-96 74.4 72.5 
			 1995-97 74.6 72.7 
			 1996-98 74.8 72.9 
			 1997-99 75.1 73.1 
			 1998-2000 75.4 73.4 
			 1999-2001 75.7 73.7 
			 2000-02 76.0 74.0 
			 2001-03 76.2 74.2 
			 2002-04 76.6 74.5 
			 2003-05 76.9 74.9 
			
			  Females   
			 1991-93 79.1 77.6 
			 1992-94 79.4 77.9 
			 1993-95 79.4 78.0 
			 1994-96 79.6 78.2 
			 1995-97 79.7 78.2 
			 1996-98 79.8 78.3 
			 1997-99 80.0 78.4 
			 1998-2000 80.2 78.6 
			 1999-2001 80.4 78.8 
			 2000-02 80.7 79.1 
			 2001-03 80.7 79.1 
			 2002-04 80.9 79.3 
			 2003-05 81.1 79.5 
			 (1 )Results based on the 71 local authorities with the lowest life expectancy results in England in each three-year period.

Liquid Petroleum Gas

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors were taken into account when deciding that duty rates for liquid petroleum gas (lpg) should be increased by more than the rate of increase for  (a) petrol and  (b) diesel in the pre-budget report; and what estimate he has made of the likely effect of this policy on demand for lpg vehicles in the next five years.

John Healey: holding answer 14 December 2006
	The Alternative Fuels Framework, published in the 2003 PBR, sets out and establishes a clear rationale for decisions on Government support, including that policy must be environmentally sustainable, and that levels of support should reflect the full environmental impact of the fuel. In line with this framework, the 2006 pre-Budget report announced a reduction of the liquefied petroleum gas duty differential with ultra low sulphur petrol and diesel by the equivalent of 1 penny per litre.
	The Government keep the impacts of their tax policy decisions under review.

Local Government

Tom Brake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets his Department sets for local authorities.

John Healey: The Treasury does not directly set any targets for local authorities.

Mortality Statistics

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were in the last 12 months from  (a) heart disease,  (b) cancer,  (c) motor-neurone disease and  (d) AIDS.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 December 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there were in the last 12 months from (a) heart disease, (b) cancer, (c) motor-neurone disease and (d) AIDS. (109266)
	Numbers of deaths by the underlying cause of death are published annually by ONS in the reference series "DH2, Mortality Statistics - Cause."
	Recent volumes are available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=618.
	The latest available volume contains data for deaths in 2004. Numbers of deaths for the causes requested are included in the table below.
	As AIDS or HIV infection may not be recorded as the underlying cause at death registration, the figure published by ONS is likely to be an undercount of the true total of these deaths. Although there is provision for the certifier of the death to inform ONS in confidence that a death should be coded to AIDS/HIV, previous research has shown that this does not happen in at least 30 per cent of cases(1). The Health Protection Agency (HPA) receives data from clinicians about clinically diagnosed cases of HIV and AIDS and is notified of any deaths that occur. An anonymised database of these records is used by the HPA to report on mortality from AIDS/HIV.
	(1 )McCormick A (1994) The impact of human immunodeficiency virus on the population of England and Wales. "Population Trends" 76, p40-45
	
		
			  Deaths by selected underlying cause( 1) , England and Wales( 2) , 2004( 3) 
			  Underlying cause  Number of deaths 
			 Heart disease 92,528 
			 Cancer 134,856 
			 Motor neurone disease 1,509 
			 AIDS 209 
			 (1) Cause of death defined using the following International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes:  Heart disease (Ischemic heart diseases)—ICD-10 120-125  Cancer (all malignant neoplasms)—ICD-10 C00-C97  Motor neurone disease—ICD-10 G12.2  AIDS (Human immunodeficiency virus disease)—ICD-10 B20-B24 (2 )Includes non-residents. (3) Deaths occurring in the 2004 calendar year.

National Minimum Wage

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions against employers have been secured for breaches of the national minimum wage in each of the last seven years.

Dawn Primarolo: The national minimum wage prosecutions strategy was announced in July 2005 and the policy finalised in May 2006. Since that time cases have been submitted for review to the internal Revenue and Customs criminal investigations team. Two cases have now been passed to the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office to consider for prosecution action.

National Minimum Wage

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employers have been reported via the national minimum wage helpline for failing to comply with the national minimum wage legislation in each of the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows:
	In 2005-06 2,141 complaints were generated from calls to the helpline.
	In 2004-05 1,944 complaints were generated from calls to the helpline.
	In 2003-04 1,969 complaints were generated from calls to the helpline.

Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the private sector share is of the Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions.

John Healey: OGCbuying.solutions is a Trading Fund of the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and has no private sector share.

Parliamentary Questions

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what deadlines his Department's Parliamentary Unit normally sets for the receipt of draft answers to  (a) named day written parliamentary questions and  (b) other written parliamentary questions from the Department's officials.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers wish wherever possible to answer questions within the timescales set by the House of Commons. This determines the date by which officials are asked to prepare draft replies.

Payroll Giving

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what incentives for payroll giving will be in place after 31st December 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: Where employers participate in the Payroll Giving Scheme, employees making donations through the scheme will continue to receive tax relief on their donations at their marginal rate of tax. Employers themselves will still be able to claim tax relief on the costs of setting up and running these schemes.
	For those small and medium sized employers that have signed up to the Payroll Giving Grants programme before 31 December 2006, employees donations may still be matched, pound for pound (up to a maximum of £10 per month) until 31 March 2007.

Private Finance Initiative

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total capital value is of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by his Department which has reached financial close; over what period repayments will take place; and what the total cost of repayment will be in each case.

John Healey: I refer to the answers given by the then Financial Secretary (Ruth Kelly) to the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Mr. Bacon) on 5 February 2002,  Official Report, columns 836-41W.

Public Expenditure

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average public expenditure was per head in each region in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

John Healey: Total identifiable expenditure on services by country and region per head, for 2000-01 to 2005-06 is given in Table 7.2 in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2006 (Cm 6811). These regional spending statistics use the concept of identifiable spending where Government spending is allocated to the region or country that benefits from the spending. Some spending cannot be allocated to a region or country as it is for the benefit of the UK as a whole (e.g. defence spending).

Red Box Website

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent on the  (a) construction and  (b) design of his Department's Red Box website; and what funds were paid to Education Communications for its work on this website.

John Healey: Education Communications (EdComs) were contracted for design and construction costs of £107,391 for the Red Box website. It is not possible to break down the costs between design and construction.

Red Box Website

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the costs were of producing HM Revenue and Customs' Red Box hard copy teaching pack, broken down by  (a) the design of paper files,  (b) video commissioning, scripting and other production costs,  (c) copying and printing the paper files,  (d) copying the video and  (e) other costs.

John Healey: The costs of both the first and second edition of the Red Box publication total as follows:
	 (a) The design of paper files: £76,100
	 (b) Video commissioning, scripting and other production costs: £34,386
	 (c) Copying and printing the paper files: £61,820
	 (d) Copying the video: £7,800
	 (e) Other costs: £80,500

Red Diesel

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his plans are to introduce duty on red diesel; and at what rate duty will apply.

John Healey: Rebated gas oil, also known as "red diesel", has been subject to duty since 1961. The current rate of duty is 7.69p per litre.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on the retirement age, what his Department's policy is on the application of the national default retirement age to staff below the Senior Civil Service.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 13 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1224W.

Secondments

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which private sector companies employees have been seconded to his Department in the last 12 months.

John Healey: Information regarding staff that are seconded to HMT is available on the HMT website:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/about_secondee.cfm

Security and Counter-terrorism

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the total cost of his Department's review of security and counter-terrorism across Government;
	(2)  how many officials from his Department have been appointed to liaise with the Home Office review of the UK's counter-terrorism capacity, broken down by grade;
	(3)  how many officials from his Department are employed in his Department's review of security and counter-terrorism across Government; and how many officials have been seconded to the review from other government departments, broken down by department;
	(4)  which  (a) official and  (b) Minister is leading his Department's review of security and counter-terrorism across Government;
	(5)  whether his Department's review of security and counter-terrorism across Government is considering  (a) plans for ensuring essential supplies and services in the event of an emergency and  (b) policy on protective and other security measures to counter the threat of terrorism in the United Kingdom and to British interests overseas.

Stephen Timms: The CSR review of the delivery of the Government's counter-terrorism and security strategy was announced in July 2006. The review will report to me, as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
	The Treasury review is currently led by a full-time senior civil servant, supported by four other Treasury officials on a part-time basis. The team is supplemented by two secondees, one from Cabinet Office and one from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The net additional staff cost to the Treasury of this review is estimated at around £30,000.
	The Home Secretary led a more immediate review on behalf of the Prime Minister into the UK's response to the threat from terrorism. I and other members of the Treasury's review team supported that review alongside other Ministers and officials from the relevant departments, agencies and police service.
	Protective and security measures and preparation for resilience are a core part of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy, and as such are included within the policy and delivery areas that have been reviewed.

Tax Credits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will expedite the investigation into alleged overpayment of tax credits to Mrs. Dawn Ellison of St. Albans.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC have no record of a tax credits claim from anyone of that name. However, I have asked HMRC to write to the hon. Member about the claim of a person with a similar name which matched the National Insurance Number the hon. Member has provided.

Tax Credits

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement made by the Paymaster General on 6 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 14-15WS, on tax credits, what assessment he has made of the staffing implications of introducing an enhanced manual process to identify cases where a restriction is appropriate.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs constantly reviews its staffing needs.
	For this specific issue, HM Revenue and Customs estimate that the staff resources to operate the enhanced manual process to April 2007 equate to around 55 FTE annualised across a whole year.

Tax Credits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006,  Official Report, column 405W, on tax credits, whether recorded calls have been used to resolve investigations of overpayment of tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to HMRC's Code of Practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?"

Tax Credits

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the functional literacy rates of those claiming tax credits; what provision is made for services for these clients; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available. HMRC is committed to providing support to all claimants. It provides a wide range of guidance on its website, and help through its contact centres and, if necessary, through face to face contact in its network of inquiry centres.

Tax Credits

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases tax credit has been found to have been overpaid to individuals in Na h-Eileanan an Iar in each of the last three financial years; and in how many of these cases the overpayment has been contested by the claimant.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of overpaid awards at constituency level in 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04. Supplement on Payments in 2003-04. Geographical Analysis" and "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05. Supplements on Payments in 2004-05. Geographical Analysis" respectively. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Estimates of the numbers of overpaid and underpaid 2005-06 awards at 3 April 2006 will not be published until spring 2007, after families have provided details of their circumstances and final incomes for 2005-06.
	Information on the number of claimants disputing an overpayment is not available at constituency level.

Tax Credits

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total tax credit overpayments has been; what the total value of the overpayments is; and how much of the overpayments has been written off.

Dawn Primarolo: The number and value of overpaid awards in 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04. Supplement on Payments in 2003-04" and "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05. Supplements on Payments in 2004-05." These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Estimates of the numbers of overpaid and underpaid 2005-06 awards at 3 April 2006 will not be published until spring 2007, after families have provided details of their circumstances and final incomes for 2005-06.
	The amount of overpayments written off up to5 April 2006 is shown in note 8.2 of the Trust Statement to the HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts, which is also available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm.

Tax Office Closure Programme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what training courses have been specified by his Department for staff seeking retraining in preparation for the tax office closure plan; if he will consider including additional courses in the list; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC do not have a tax office closure plan.
	HMRC provides a wide range of training courses for its staff depending on their skill needs. Where HMRC redeploys staff to other business units within its operations the necessary retraining is provided to ensure they can undertake their new roles. HMRC's training courses are regularly reviewed.

Terrorist Finance

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) advice was offered on issues relating to terrorist finance by the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit and  (b) discussions were held on terrorists' exploitation of financial systems during the seminar held in April as cited on his Department's website.

Edward Balls: The Treasury participated in a confidential operational debrief by the NTFIU with financial institutions in April. In May this year, the Money Laundering Advisory Committee met to consider how Government and industry could work more closely together to combat terrorist finance and agreed to encourage greater information sharing on emerging threats.

Treasury Directors

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who the  (a) directors and  (b) managing directors are in HM Treasury; and which (i) have their own private office and (ii) sit in open plan areas.

John Healey: The Treasury's managing directors and directors are listed in the departmental report (Cm. 6830, May 2006). The Permanent Secretary and Second Permanent Secretary have private offices and both sit in open plan areas.

Trident Successor

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consultations his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence on the projected costs of  (a) missiles and  (b) strategic weapons systems equipment for a successor missile system to Trident on the basis of a fleet of four submarines.

Stephen Timms: Treasury Ministers and officials discuss a wide range of issues with their counterparts in the Ministry of Defence and other departments on a regular basis as part of the process of policy analysis, development and delivery.

VAT: Educational Bodies

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was reclaimed by public sector educational bodies in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect information at this level of detail.

Voluntary Organisations

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which charitable organisation his Department has seconded a member of staff; and what position that person holds in the Department.

John Healey: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The Treasury seconded a member of staff from the charitable organisation the Institute of Public Policy Research in June 2005. The member of staff currently works on productivity issues.

PRIME MINISTER

Children's Pack

John Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the 10 Downing Street Children's Pack; and what the cost was per pack in 2005-06.

Tony Blair: I have placed a copy of the children's booklet: "No. 10—A Guide to 10 Downing Street" in the Library of the House. There was no cost for this booklet in 2005-06.

Compensation Payments

John Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister how much was paid in compensation payments by his Office in 2005-06; and what the reason was for each payment.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office today.

DHL

Anne Milton: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Office paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster, North (Edward Miliband), the Parliamentary Secretary Cabinet Office today.

Engagements

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the guests he has officially entertained at Chequers since 4 February.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2030W.

Middle East

James Duddridge: To ask the Prime Minister how many officials from his Department are based in  (a) Israel and  (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories on a (i) temporary and (ii) permanent basis; and what the length of service in each location is of each official.

Tony Blair: None. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East gave to him on 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 768W.

Middle East

James Duddridge: To ask the Prime Minister what visits he and officials from No. 10 Downing Street have made to  (a) Israel and  (b) the Occupied Palestinian Territories in each of the last 12 months; and if he will list the officials involved in each case.

Tony Blair: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list.
	All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code, and the accompanying guidance document, "Travel by Ministers".

Middle East

James Duddridge: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he and officials from No. 10 Downing Street have had with Ministers and officials from the Department for International Development regarding development assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and if he will list the officials involved in each case.

Tony Blair: My Office and the Department for International Development have a continuous dialogue on development assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Claimants

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the evidential basis was for the statement by the Minister for Pensions Reform on7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 453, that there were 1 million fewer people on benefits.

James Purnell: We estimate that the total number of people on out of work benefits has fallen by around 900,000 since 1997. This refers to changes in the number of people on jobseeker's allowance, lone parent benefits, incapacity benefits and other income-related out of work benefits. Figures are drawn from publicly available data from the Office for National Statistics, the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study and the Department for Work and Pensions' 5 per cent. sample benefits data.

Benefit Fraud

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the total amount spent on programmes and initiatives to reduce  (a) benefit fraud and  (b) benefit error in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 26 June 2006,  Official Report, column 39W.

Benefit Payments: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioner households in Tamworth constituency are receiving  (a) pension credit and  (b) pensions saving credit; and what the (i) highest and (ii) average amount awarded is.

James Purnell: The information requested is in the following tables. The pension credit is made up of two elements, guarantee credit and savings credit. An individual can receive either one or both guarantee credit and savings credit.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of households in receipt of pension credit by type in Tamworth constituency and the average weekly payment:May 2006 
			  Type of pension credit  Household recipients  Average weekly payments (£) 
			 Guarantee credit only 940 73.19 
			 Savings credit only 960 12.34 
			 Guarantee and savings credit 2,110 43.55 
			 All 4,010 43.05 
			  Notes:  1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest ten. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the 2005 postcode directory.  3. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.  4. Average weekly payments are shown as pound per week and are rounded to the nearest penny.  Source:  DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The highest award amounts for pension credit in Tamworth: May 2006 
			  Type of pension credit  Highest awards (£) 
			 Guarantee credit 174.05 
			 Savings credit 23.58 
			  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample data.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what total amount of additional unpaid maintenance has been recovered to date as a result of the Child Support Agency's operational improvement plan; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what total amount of additional unpaid maintenance has been recovered to date as a result of the Child Support Agency's Operational Improvement plan; and if he will make a statement.
	The Operational Improvement Plan announced in Parliament on 9(th) February 2006 and launched in April 2006 aims over the next three years to improve our service to clients, increase the amount of money we collect, achieve greater compliance from non-resident parents and as a result achieve a reduction in child poverty and a better standard of living for many more children.
	The initial phase of the Operational Improvement Plan has focussed on the organisational and operational restructuring of the Agency, and the training of our people. Once this phase is complete we can expect to see more clearly the benefits of the Plan. Even now early results show improvements in several key areas; at the end of September 2006 compared with a year ago:
	67,000 more children benefited from maintenance arrangements
	Uncleared applications were down by 12 per cent and stood at their lowest since comparable records began in May 1999
	An average of £71.3 million every month is being collected or arranged through Maintenance Direct (up from £67.5 million each month in 2005/06)
	The Agency cleared more applications: 55 per cent within twelve weeks (up from 44 per cent and meeting target level) and 73 per cent within six months (up from 60 per cent)
	59 per cent of new scheme cases with a liability made a payment or arranged Maintenance Direct (up from 53 per cent)
	The Agency answered 97 per cent of queued calls (up from91 per cent in March 2006)
	The Operational Improvement Plan included plans to contract out some of the outstanding debt owed to parents with care, to private debt collection agencies. By the end of October 2006 over £180,000 had been collected by these agencies. A letter sent by the Agency to inform clients that their debt is to be transferred to the external debt collection agencies had also resulted in an additional £250,000 collected by the Agency by the end of October 2006.
	During the year ending March 2006 a total amount of£13.5 million was collected through specific legal enforcement work, an average monthly amount of £1.1 million. This has increased during the first half of the reporting year 2006/2007 during which the Agency has collected £8.6 million, a monthly average of £1.4 million.
	The Agency continues to improve the collection of child support maintenance arrears and during the year ending March 2006 a total amount of £80.8 million was collected, an average monthly amount of £6.7 million. This has increased to an average monthly amount of £7.1 million during the first half of the reporting year 2006/2007.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to answer telephone calls to the Child Support Agency helpline has been for new scheme cases in each month since 1 January 2003; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 December 2006:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken to answer telephone calls to the Child Support Agency helpline has been for new scheme cases in each month since 1 January 2003; and if he will make a statement.
	The attached table shows the average time taken to answer telephone calls received in respect of both new and old scheme cases on the new computer system (CS2). It is not possible to disaggregate this data by scheme, and monthly information is only available from July 2003 onwards.
	The speed of answering calls has improved steadily since 2004. On average, the Agency has answered telephone calls within one minute on both new and old computer systems every month since March 2006, as committed to in the Agency's published service standard. However, in September 2006, there was a seasonal dip in performance caused by high call volumes. To reduce the impact of such seasonal variations in future, the Agency is investigating ways of being able to deploy its people at times of high call activity.
	Further information on the Agency's telephony performance is contained in table 16 of the September 2006 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_sep06.asp.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Average time to answer calls to the Child Support Agency on the new computer system (CS2) 
			  Month  Average time to answer calls (hours: minutes: seconds) 
			 July 2003 0:01:36 
			 August 2003 0:01:10 
			 September 2003 0:01:15 
			 October 2003 0:02:21 
			 November 2003 0:02:36 
			 December 2003 0:01:19 
			 January 2004 0:02:48 
			 February 2004 0:02:59 
			 March 2004 0:03:35 
			 April 2004 0:03:16 
			 May 2004 0:02:34 
			 June 2004 0:01:48 
			 July 2004 0:01:53 
			 August 2004 0:02:24 
			 September 2004 0:03:17 
			 October 2004 0:03:04 
			 November 2004 0:02:23 
			 December 2004 0:02:03 
			 January 2005 0:02:33 
			 February 2005 0:02:07 
			 March 2005 0:02:24 
			 April 2005 0:02:03 
			 May 2005 0:01:32 
			 June 2005 0:01:22 
			 July 2005 0:01:13 
			 August 2005 0:01:37 
			 September 2005 0:01:49 
			 October 2005 0:01:36 
			 November 2005 0:01:12 
			 December 2005 0:00:49 
			 January 2006 0:01:06 
			 February 2006 0:01:12 
			 March 2006 0:00:52 
			 April 2006 0:00:32 
			 May 2006 0:00:29 
			 June 2006 0:00:24 
			 July 2006 0:00:30 
			 August 2006 0:00:33 
			 September 2006 0:00:52 
			  Note:  1. Data is presented for calls made regarding cases on the new computer system (CS2). It is not possible to separate this data into calls about new and old scheme cases. 2. The time to answer calls is measure from the point at which calls become available for staff to answer, which occurs after the caller has entered their details via the telephone key pad.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the performance targets of the Child Support Agency are; what progress has been made in meeting each target; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 December 2000:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the targets are for the Child Support Agency; what progress has been made to date against each; and if he will make a statement.
	The Child Support Agency has six targets set by the Secretary of State for 2006-07, which were published in the Agency's Business Plan, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.csa.gov.uk/pdf/english/reports/plan0607.pdf.
	It should be noted that there was an error in the published definition of the debt target, which incorrectly stated that the performance level of 40 per cent. should be achieved over the financial year 2006-07 as opposed to the quarter ending March 2007, as was originally intended. The correct definition of this target is, therefore, that: 'The Agency will collect arrears equivalent to 40 per cent. of the amount accruing due to non-payment of regular maintenance between 1 January 2007 and 31 March 2007."
	The Agency's latest performance against these targets was published in tables 2.1, 3, 7.2, 8.1, 12, and 17 of the September 2006 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa__quarterly__sep06.asp.
	The correction to the debt target definition was also made in this publication.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether bonus payments made to employees of the Child Support Agency are based on  (a) relative and  (b) absolute levels of performance;
	(2)  what criteria are used to determine bonus payments to employees of the Child Support Agency.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 December 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	And;
	.
	The Child Support Agency is part of the Department for Work and Pensions and uses the following Departmental bonus schemes:
	Individual Performance Bonus: 2006 was the last year of a 3-year pay deal. Under the terms of that deal, individual performance bonuses were paid to people who were rated as Top, Higher or Majority level under the Department's performance management system - the Performance and Development System. That system operates on the basis of relative assessment.
	Special Bonus: An individual may be awarded a one-off bonus outside the annual reward performance and development system exercise to recognise and reward exceptional personal achievement.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases were  (a) outstanding and  (b) unprocessed in each year from 1993 to 2006; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 December 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency cases are (a) outstanding and (b) unprocessed in each year from 1993 to 2006; and if he will make a statement.
	The Agency begins to process new applications as soon as they are received and continues until they have been cleared. Any applications that have not yet been cleared can be regarded as outstanding. The amount of work required to achieve clearance and the elapsed time it involves varies considerably depending on, amongst other things, the circumstances of the parents and how readily they cooperate with the Agency. As such, the Agency holds only a negligible number of completely unprocessed applications.
	The attached table shows the number of uncleared applications at points in time between May 1999 and September 2006. For the period prior to May 1999, reliable management information on uncleared applications is not available.
	The information provided in the table can be derived by combining information from Table 1 and Table 2.1 of the September 2006 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet via the following link:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_sep06.asp
	Although the total volume of uncleared applications, 247,500 in September 2006, is the lowest since comparable records began, the Agency recognises that this remains unacceptably high. The Agency therefore has a 2006/07 target to ensure that, by March 2007, the volume of new scheme uncleared applications outstanding at March 2006 is reduced by 25% and our challenge, as set down in our Operational Improvement Plan, is that the Agency should not have a backlog by March 2009.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of uncleared applications across both schemes between May 1999 and September 2006 
			   Total  New scheme  Old scheme 
			 May 1999 334,500 — 334,500 
			 May 2000 292,600 — 292,600 
			 May 2001 304,500 — 304,500 
			 May 2002 269,300 — 269,300 
			 May 2003 272,300 48,900 223,400 
			 May 2004 295,600 170,000 125,500 
			 May 2005 294,100 223,500 70,500 
			 May 2006 267,200 215,400 51,800 
			 September 2006 247,500 200,500 47,100 
			  Notes: 1 .A potential new application is cleared when it: —has had a calculation and a payment arrangement set up (new scheme only); —has had an assessment (old scheme only); —has been closed (both schemes); —has been identified as having had a good cause decision accepted (both schemes); —has been identified as being subject to a reduced benefit decision (both schemes); —has been identified as a change of circumstances to an existing case, as opposed to a new application (new scheme only). An application remains uncleared until it achieves one of the states above. 2. The old scheme began in February 1993. The new scheme began in March 2003. There are no reliable data on uncleared applications prior to May 1999. 3. Of the 47,100 old scheme applications still awaiting clearance, 23,900 are on the old Child Support Computer System (CSCS) and 23,100 on the new Child Support 2 (CS2) computer system. Of the 23,900 applications on CSCS, 23,000 are suspended, principally because the Agency has been unable to trace the non-resident parent. Similar types of applications will be included in work in progress on CS2 (for both old and new scheme applications), but the volumes cannot currently be quantified. 4. Volumes are rounded to the nearest hundred. For this reason, total applications may not always appear to equal new scheme applications plus old scheme applications. 5. This table counts applications for Child Support. Not all applications become live cases. It is not possible to quantify the extent to which the Agency's clerical new-scheme caseload is or is not included in the above numbers.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what total payments of Child Support Agency arrears have been made by absent parents in each  (a) month,  (b) quarter and  (c) year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what total payments of Child Support Agency arrears have been made by absent parents for each (a) month (b) quarter and (c) year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement.
	The answer to your question can be found on the following table. Data on the old scheme (until March 2003) was only recorded quarterly. Monthly figures are available from March 2003.
	The Agency now collects more than double the amount of arrears payments each quarter than it did in 1997. However, we are aware that there remains a great deal of work to be done in this area.
	The Agency's Operational Improvement Plan, published in February 2006, includes:
	a target to reduce historic debt owed by non-resident parents by £200m up to 2009;
	a major increase in the number of designated enforcement people;
	an objective to raise levels of case compliance for new scheme cases to 75 per cent by March 2008 and 80 per cent in March 2009.
	We have also launched a Specialist Trace Service, so that cases which have been suspended because the Agency has insufficient information to trace the non-resident parent, can be transferred to the private sector to make use of their specialist tracing skills.
	As such, we plan to reduce significantly the levels of historic debt in the Agency, and ensure that more non-resident parents meet their responsibilities to their children.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  (a) The monetary value of maintenance arrears payments made by non-resident parents since March 2003, split by month 
			   £ million 
			 March 2003 5.531 
			 April 2003 5.058 
			 May 2003 5.324 
			 June 2003 5.257 
			 July 2003 5.592 
			 August 2003 4.954 
			 September 2003 5.433 
			 October 2003 5.652 
			 November 2003 4.943 
			 December 2003 5.197 
			 January 2004 5.639 
			 February 2004 4.921 
			 March 2004 5.816 
			 April 2004 5.292 
			 May 2004 5.079 
			 June 2004 6.307 
			 July 2004 5.575 
			 August 2004 5.783 
			 September 2004 5.403 
			 October 2004 5.500 
			 November 2004 6.045 
			 December2004 5.620 
			 January 2005 5.628 
			 February 2005 5.572 
			 March 2005 6.325 
			 April 2005 5.942 
			 May 2005 6.501 
			 June 2005 6.975 
			 July 2005 7.491 
			 August 2005 6.739 
			 September 2005 6.224 
			 October 2005 6.701 
			 November 2005 7.238 
			 December2005 6.363 
			 January 2006 6.875 
			 February 2006 6.225 
			 March 2006 7.528 
			 April 2006 6.361 
			 May 2006 7.874 
			 June 2006 7.289 
			 July 2006 7.393 
			 August 2006 7.038 
			 September 2006 6.698 
			  Note: Data on the old scheme (until March 2003) was only collected on a quarterly basis. 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) The monetary value of maintenance arrears payments made by non-resident parents since 1997-98, split by quarter 
			  Quarter ending  £ million 
			 May 1997 8.786 
			 August 1997 10.161 
			 November 1997 11.081 
			 February 1998 11.843 
			 May 1998 13.333 
			 August 1998 13.474 
			 November 1998 15.153 
			 February 1999 14.622 
			 May 1999 15.898 
			 August 1999 16.917 
			 November 1999 15.998 
			 February 2000 15.726 
			 May 2000 15.471 
			 August 2000 15.947 
			 November 2000 15.547 
			 February 2001 15.646 
			 May 2001 16.007 
			 August 2001 16.214 
			 November 2001 15.655 
			 February 2002 15.353 
			 May 2002 16.509 
			 August 2002 16.120 
			 November 2002 16.519 
			 February 2003 15.696 
			 May 2003 15.914 
			 August 2003 15.803 
			 November 2003 16.027 
			 February 2004 15.757 
			 May 2004 16.187 
			 August 2004 17.665 
			 November 2004 16.948 
			 February 2005 16.820 
			 May 2005 18.769 
			 August 2005 21.205 
			 November 2005 20.163 
			 February 2006 19.463 
			 May 2006 21.763 
			 August 2006 21.720 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) The monetary value of maintenance arrears payments made by non-resident parents since 1997-98, split by year 
			  Year ending  £ million 
			 February 1998 41.872 
			 February 1999 56.583 
			 February 2000 64.540 
			 February 2001 62.610 
			 February 2002 63.228 
			 February 2003 64.844 
			 March 2004 63.785 
			 March 2005 68.129 
			 March 2006 80.802 
			  Notes:  1. Arrears are accrued when the non-resident parent does not pay the full amount of regular maintenance due.  2. Monthly data are only available from March 2003, when the new scheme was introduced. Data on the old scheme prior to March 2003 are only available quarterly.  3. Because the quarterly data prior to March 2003 is for irregular quarters (February, May, August, November), it is only possible to give figures by financial year (i.e. the year ending in March) from 2004 onwards. Prior to this, information is for the most comparable periods: the years ending in February.  4. Monetary values are presented in millions.  5. Figures in the tables are taken from Agency Management Information rather than the general ledger.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents with care are owed Child Support Agency maintenance arrears; what the average arrears are per case; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter of the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 18 September, 2006:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents with care are owed Child Support Agency maintenance arrears; what the average arrears per case are; and if he will make a statement.
	In September 2006 there were 598,600 cases that had outstanding arrears owed to the parent with care by the non-resident parent in respect of their child or children. The mean average arrears for these cases was £3,170 and the median average was £660. These figures exclude arrears owed to the Secretary of State by non-resident parents.
	The Agency recognizes that current debt remains high and targets have been introduced to slow down and stabilise the growth of debt. As part of the Agency's "Operational Improvement Plan", published in February 2006, we:
	have contracted out some debt collection to the private sector;
	are improving our own efforts to collect, by increasing the number of people dedicated to enforcement activity within the Agency and learning lessons from the private sector.
	These measures will enable the Agency to collect over 200 million more historic debt over the next three years.
	I hope you find this answer useful.

Child Support Agency

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid in the form of  (a) consolatory payments and  (b) compensation by the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 30 November 2006
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been paid in the form of (a) consolatory payments and (b) compensation by the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years.
	Financial redress is made to clients in cases where maladministration has occurred. Consolatory payments form a part of financial redress and are made by way of an apology for the handling of a client's case. These payments are not usually large amounts but do acknowledge that a client's case has not been handled as well as it might.
	The following table summarises the total amount paid by the Agency in financial redress as outlined in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts and consolatory payments in each of the last five years.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Total paid in financial redress  Consolatory payments 
			 2001-02 2.59 0.696 
			 2002-03 2.478 0.661 
			 2003-04 2.331 0.406 
			 2004-05 3.009 0.582 
			 2005-06 4.138 0.608 
		
	
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received ex-gratia payments from the Child Support Agency in the last five years due to delays in processing their cases.

James Plaskitt: The information on redress payments for maladministration does not distinguish between the different reasons for payment. The information requested is therefore not available.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have received ex-gratia payments from the Child Support Agency in the last five years due to delays in processing their cases.
	Financial redress is made to clients in cases where maladministration has occurred. Delays in processing a case is one reason. However, the information available does not distinguish between the different reasons where redress payments are made. Therefore, the figures below are an overall account of the redress payments which were made for any reason. I should also point out that the table covers the number of payments made, rather than the number of people that received such payments.
	The following table summarises the number of redress payments made to clients in each of the last five years, as outlined in the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts. Figures for 2005-06 are also available in the Agency's 2005-06 Annual Report and Accounts.
	
		
			   Number of payments 
			 2001-02 10,006 
			 2002-03 10,090 
			 2003-04 6,863 
			 2004-05 9,118 
			 2005-06 11,515 
		
	
	I hope you find this response helpful.

Debt Collection Agencies

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Child Support Agency takes before referring a case of alleged arrears to a debt collection agency; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Child Support Agency takes before referring a case of alleged arrears to a debt collection agency; and if he will make a statement.
	The Child Support Agency carries out a full check on all cases before referring debts to the debt collection agencies. These checks ensure that the case is accurate and meets the following criteria:
	The debt on the case is at least £150.00;
	No child maintenance payment shave been received in the last three months;
	There is no ongoing appeal action;
	No parties involved in the case, ie the non-resident parent, parent with care or qualifying child(ren) is deceased;
	There is no ongoing legal enforcement action;
	The child maintenance debt amount is correct; and
	The last child maintenance assessment on the case is 100 per cent cash accurate. If not, the last child maintenance assessment will be revised and corrected so the case can be referred as required.
	Each case must meet all of the above criteria at which point the non-resident parent is notified and allowed seven days to contact the Child Support Agency to make an agreement to pay. Only after this point, and if no agreement has been made, is the debt passed to the debt collection agencies.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Departmental Staff

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff employed by his Department had the primary role of reducing  (a) benefit fraud and  (b) benefit error in each year since the Department was created.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Every person employed in the DWP has a role in enforcing the requirements of the benefits system which includes the reduction of fraud and error. All claims are subject to verification and all statements made by our customers are open to challenge where it appears that they may be incorrect. The Department is committed to further reducing fraud and error in the benefit system.

DHL

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

Anne McGuire: The Department has no formal contracts with DHL but have used their services on an ad-hoc basis. The following shows spend with DHL in each year from 2002-03 to present. No data is available for previous years.
	
		
			  DWP spend with DHL 
			   £ 
			 2002-03 7,318 
			 2003-04 3,063 
			 2004-05 890 
			 2005-06 7,947 
			 YTD 2006-07 8,382

Energy Suppliers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average level of Fuel Direct payments for  (a) gas and  (b) electricity made to each supplier in (i) each region of England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales was in the last full year for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 14 July 2006,  Official Report, column 2126.

Enforcement Initiative

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost per pound to his Department of recovering an overpayment for each of the private sector companies involved with the Enforcement initiative.

James Plaskitt: All suppliers are paid on a commission only (no win, no fee) basis, commission being determined by the amount the supplier has recovered and the rate of commission which applies to the particular type of debt. Commission rates vary across all four contracts based on such criteria as the age or particular type of debt or whether action to trace the debtor is required.
	Commission rates are commercially sensitive information and as such individual rates cannot be disclosed.

Housing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was allocated  (a) to each London local authority and  (b) in each region of the UK under the discretionary housing payment scheme in each of the last five years; and what proportion was used in each case.

James Plaskitt: The available information for London local authorities is in the following table.
	
		
			  Discretionary housing payment allocation for London local authorities 
			   Annual government allocation for discretionary housing payments (£000)  Percentage of allocation used 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Barking 33 40 40 40 7 24 48 100 
			 Barnet 177 219 219 221 46 75 89 81 
			 Bexley 45 56 56 55 37 66 54 92 
			 Brent 116 143 143 230 73 100 100 100 
			 Bromley 86 107 107 67 1 5 34 94 
			 Camden 138 170 170 216 29 100 86 57 
			 City of London 4 5 5 3 — — — — 
			 Croydon 125 154 154 160 56 72 100 98 
			 Ealing 148 218 218 241 42 96 85 85 
			 Enfield 149 184 184 146 12 24 69 89 
			 Greenwich 138 185 185 228 58 100 100 100 
			 Hackney 98 121 121 116 7 34 29 100 
			 Hammersmith 89 117 117 127 32 85 100 87 
			 Haringey 153 189 189 173 22 33 64 100 
			 Harrow 85 105 105 98 35 56 64 100 
			 Havering 48 63 63 74 41 100 69 58 
			 Hillingdon 96 119 119 121 49 78 92 100 
			 Hounslow 59 72 72 93 56 100 100 49 
			 Islington 86 106 106 87 9 27 21 66 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 121 150 150 124 25 42 54 100 
			 Kingston-Upon-Thames 42 61 61 51 39 40 62 100 
			 Lambeth 93 124 124 123 22 56 100 100 
			 Lewisham 147 182 182 182 47 63 75 76 
			 Merton 72 106 106 91 77 53 73 100 
			 Newham 91 113 113 232 72 100 100 — 
			 Redbridge 108 149 149 172 64 96 82 48 
			 Richmond-Upon-Thames 94 138 138 124 62 67 65 75 
			 Southwark 89 131 131 153 34 94 92 87 
			 Sutton 71 92 92 71 66 37 34 99 
			 Tower Hamlets 96 141 141 150 57 79 80 94 
			 Waltham Forest 89 109 109 189 100 100 79 75 
			 Wandsworth 69 102 102 114 64 87 74 76 
			 Westminster 131 165 165 187 38 97 93 92 
			  Notes:  1. Amounts are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.  2. A dash represents no information available or no claim form was submitted by the local authority.  3. The latest available audited expenditure information for discretionary housing payments is for the financial year 2004-05.  4. The discretionary housing payment scheme was introduced on 2 July 2001, therefore the information for 2001-02 reflects part of that year. 
		
	
	The discretionary housing payment scheme was introduced on 2 July 2001. The information for the financial year 2001-02 is only available clerically for each local authority, and providing regional totals would be possible only at a disproportionate cost. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Discretionary housing payment allocation for UK regions 
			   Annual Government allocation for discretionary housing payments (£000)  Percentage of allocation used 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 East Midlands 985 985 915 50 49 57 
			 Eastern 1,587 1,587 1,579 67 73 80 
			 Greater London 2,438 2,438 2,645 67 76 78 
			 Inner London 1,699 1,699 1,809 74 77 86 
			 North East 624 624 623 44 49 56 
			 North West 2,280 2,280 2,249 53 61 73 
			 Scotland 2,010 2,010 2,114 68 69 78 
			 South East 2,892 2,892 2,758 61 69 77 
			 South West 1,510 1,510 1,523 64 71 78 
			 Wales 884 884 905 62 70 76 
			 West Midlands 1,828 1,828 1,569 43 68 82 
			 Yorks and Humberside 1,262 1,262 1,310 60 75 69 
			  Notes:  1. Amounts are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.  2. Information is only available for Great Britain.  3. The latest available audited expenditure information for discretionary housing payments is for the financial year 2004-05.

Miners' Compensation

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many coal miners have made a claim for compensation under the Pneumoconiosis Act 1979 since 2002, broken down by area.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 7 December 2006
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Miners paid under 1979 scheme 
			  Month  Paid  England  Scotland  Wales  Abroad 
			 April 2005 0 0 0 0 0 
			 May 2005 5 0 0 5 0 
			 June 2005 18 5 1 12 0 
			 July 2005 28 4 10 14 0 
			 August 2005 12 2 4 5 1 
			 September 2005 60 7 5 48 0 
			 October 2005 89 7 4 78 0 
			 November 2005 21 4 3 14 0 
			 December 2005 12 7 1 4 0 
			 January 2006 14 3 3 8 0 
			 February 2006 8 5 0 3 0 
			 March 2006 15 9 3 3 0 
			 Total 282 53 34 194 1

On-line Pension Planner

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of developing the on-line pension planner has been since inception.

James Purnell: £11.3 million has been incurred on the web-based retirement planner to date.

Pension Credit

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what factors he took into account when setting the period of four weeks for paying pension credits into pensioners' bank accounts while they are out of the United Kingdom.

James Purnell: Pension credit is for people who live in Great Britain. If someone expects to be absent abroad for less than 52 weeks it can continue to be paid normally for no more than four weeks; or for up to eight weeks for someone accompanying a young person who lives with them and is receiving medical treatment abroad. It can continue to be paid for people who have gone abroad for medical treatment under the NHS for themselves for as long as they receive treatment. These rules are the same as the equivalent rules for income support.

Pensions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will restore the 1981 value of the basic state pension.

James Purnell: We have said that that the earnings link will be restored to the basic state pension. The objective is that this will be done, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, in 2012 but in any event at the latest by the end of the next Parliament.
	By 2050 the amount of the basic state pension will roughly double in value compared with current policies.

Recruitment

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on recruitment advertising in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: This information is not collated within this Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Fund

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the rates of  (a) applications for social fund discretionary awards by and  (b) awards of social fund discretionary awards to (i) ethnic minority, (ii) elderly and (iii) other applicants.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Approximate application rate in 2005-06 
			  Percentage 
			   Community care grant  Budgeting loan 
			 Pensioner 1.8 4.0 
			 Working age 18.8 70.7 
			  Notes: 1. The number of applications cannot be split between pensioners and working age, but the number of decisions can be divided in that way. The number of decisions has been used as an approximation to the number of applications. 2. The approximate application rate has been defined as the number of decisions divided by the average qualifying benefit caseload (expressed as a percentage). 3. Crisis loans are available to anyone, whether on benefit or not, who cannot meet their immediate short-term needs in an emergency or as a consequence of a disaster. The potential caseload is unknown. 4. Some applicants made more than one application for a community care grant and/or budgeting loan during the year.  Sources: 1. Social fund decisions: DWP social fund policy, budget and management information system. 2. Caseloads: Work and Pensions longitudinal study and five per cent sample data (from DWP internet tabulation tool). 
		
	
	
		
			  Initial award rate in 2005-06 
			  Percentage 
			   Community care grant  Budgeting loan  Crisis loan 
			 Pensioner 64.5 85.6 71.1 
			 Working age 46.3 73.7 74.7 
			  Note: The initial award rate has been defined as the number of initial awards divided by the number of decisions (expressed as a percentage).  Source: DWP social fund policy, budget and management information system,

Social Fund

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend the social fund eligibility criteria to allow people  (a) on very low incomes and  (b) moving as a result of domestic violence who are in need of immediate support to receive awards under the fund.

James Plaskitt: The social fund is kept under continual review, and there are no plans at this time to extend the criteria of the discretionary scheme.
	Subject to satisfying the relevant criteria, people moving as a result of domestic violence can—like all other applicants—benefit from all parts of the social fund, in particular, the community care grant and crisis loan schemes. People on very low incomes, subject to satisfying the relevant criteria, can benefit from the crisis loan scheme.

Social Fund

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many credit recovery agencies were used to help recover defaulted loans from the social fund in each of the last 10 years.

James Plaskitt: Since April 2004, four private sector suppliers have assisted the Department in the recovery of debt, including outstanding social fund loans, from customers no longer in receipt of benefit. No suppliers were used prior to that date.

Social Fund

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by the social fund in attempting to recover payment from defaulting payers.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Unclaimed Benefit

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of  (a) all people and  (b) pensioners entitled to claim (i) income support, (ii) housing benefit, (iii) council tax benefit, (iv) jobseeker's allowance and (v) pension credit and minimum income guarantee failed to claim each benefit in each of the last five years; and what the total value of the unclaimed benefit was in each case.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave my right hon. Friend the Member for North Tyneside (Mr. Byers) on 3 March 2006, Official Report, column 1034.

Winter Fuel Payments

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the time limit for making late claims for winter fuel allowance.

James Purnell: The vast majority of winter fuel payments are made automatically without the need to claim, using information held on the departmental computer systems. For people who need to claim, claim forms are available from July for the oncoming winter and can be submitted up to 30 March the following year. We have no plans to review the time limit for claiming a winter fuel payment.
	The number of late claims received in respect of the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 is in the following table.
	
		
			   Late claims received to date  Total winter fuel payments made 
			 2003-04 9,046 11,468,240 
			 2004-05 8,465 11,401,170 
			 2005-06 2,857 11,514,760 
			  Notes: 1. Figures for late claims received are the cumulative total to date. 2. Figures for winter fuel payments made rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Claim forms for these years are still being received.  Source: Winter Fuel Payment Centre

Winter Fuel Payments

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure pensioners receive advice in winter 2006-07 about the grants and benefits available for heating costs.

James Purnell: The Pension Service is currently sending out notifications to approximately 11,500,000 customers aged 60 and over to inform them that they have been awarded a winter fuel payment. Winter fuel payments have been promoted via press advertising and communications to welfare rights advisers.
	The advertising invites customers who may be entitled to a winter fuel payment but have not received one in the past, to apply.
	The Pension Service internet site carries full details on winter fuel payments as well as advice about other benefits that customers may be entitled to, such as cold weather payments (which are operated by Jobcentre Plus). The website also carries useful information about other schemes and grants to help pensioners heat their homes such as the warm front scheme administered by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The Pension Service works with the Department of Health and other Government Departments on the annual "Keep Warm Keep Well" campaign, which offers advice to pensioners and other vulnerable groups about keeping warm over the winter months. This provides a range of practical information and contact details for a range of grants and services.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Expenditure

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost to public funds was of his Department ordering  (a) a sign to the entrance to his office and  (b) business cards.

John Prescott: The sign cost £644.93. Business cards cost £726.15.

Kerzner International

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether any representatives of Kerzner International were present at his meeting with the Anschutz Entertainment Group at their Canary Wharf offices on 17th August 2005;
	(2)  for what reason he visited the Canary Wharf offices of Anschutz Entertainment Group on 17th August 2005.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1794W.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Public Appointments

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what criteria her Department uses to appoint members of non-departmental public bodies; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what her Department's criteria are for appointments to non-departmental public bodies; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Selection criteria are published at the beginning of each competition. They comprise the qualities, skills and experience required for that particular role. All applicants are considered by a selection panel. All appointments are based on merit.

Digital Television

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made in developing the Government's plan for targeted assistance in the move to digital television; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Good progress has been made on the Digital Switchover Help Scheme—and discussions with the BBC about its establishment and funding are continuing. The Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Bill will be read a second time today. The Bill would enable the scheme to receive social security information in order to target those eligible for assistance and so help to increase take-up among those eligible. There will also be extensive communications to raise awareness about the scheme and we continue to work closely with the Digital Switchover Consumer Experts Group, which includes a number of leading voluntary sector organisations including Age Concern, RNIB and RNID, to explore how best to communicate with eligible groups.

Digital Television

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to raise public awareness in West Lancashire of the Government's plan for digital switchover; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Digital UK is the independent, non-profit organisation leading the process of digital switchover in the UK. Its communications provide impartial information on what people need to do and when they need to do it.
	In May 2006, Digital UK launched its first nationwide campaign of communications and assistance. A second campaign, still ongoing, started in October.
	Digital UK is committed to begin targeted regional campaigns three years in advance of switchover in the region. These have started in the first four areas: Border, West Country, Wales and Granada.
	Information on levels of awareness is not available by county or Parliamentary constituency, although according to Digital UK, at 30 September, awareness of Digital Switchover in the Granada ITV region was 71 per cent.

Sport: Participation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the level of participation in sport; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Participation in sport starts at school. The 2005-06 school sport survey showed that 80 per cent. were doing at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport per week, exceeding the 75 per cent. target.
	Data from the national Taking Part Survey published last week estimate that 54 per cent. of adults participated in at least one active sport in the past month and 21 per cent. of adults participated in moderate intensity level sport for at least 30 minutes on three separate occasions in the past week.

Remote Gambling

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on an agreed communiqué following the international summit on remote gambling.

Richard Caborn: Good progress has been made. Responses received to date have been positive and have welcomed our plans to set up an international expert group to advise on the development of worldwide standards for regulation.
	We plan to publish the communiqué, and provide further information about the expert group, early next year.

Television Quiz Channels

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provisions regulate television quiz channels; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Television quiz channels are regulated by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) under provisions in the Communications Act 2003.

Cricket

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote cricket among young people.

Richard Caborn: Cricket is one of the 22 key sports within the National School Sport Strategy. The national governing body for cricket is receiving 1.24 million over the four years to 2007 to deliver its objectives for the club links and step into sport programmes.
	The 2005-06 school sport survey found that cricket is the fifth most popular sport, with 89 per cent. of schools offering it to their pupils. The survey also found that cricket was the second most popular sport in terms of club links, with 52 per cent. of schools having links with a local cricket club.
	Since 2003, the English Cricket Board has committed 9.6 million of exchequer funding to 264 community sports clubs for the development, or redevelopment, of their sports facilities.
	Sport England has awarded 2 million of Sports Lottery Fund money over two years (2005-07) to the Chance to Shine initiative for young people.

Theatres

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met representatives of those working in the cultural sector to discuss the funding of local theatres; and whether she has supported additional funding for theatres in discussions on the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.

David Lammy: No decisions have yet been taken on the Comprehensive Spending Review.
	I fully support the role theatre plays in our nation's cultural life and have regular meetings with people working in the cultural sector, including theatre and other art forms. Arts Council England has substantially increased funding for theatre in each year since 2001-02, when it was 58.6 million. In 2006-07, it will allocate an estimated 97.5 million to over 230 regularly funded theatre organisations.

BBC

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport What recent research she has undertaken into public support for the BBC and the licence fee as a means of funding it.

Shaun Woodward: The extensive research and public consultation we have undertaken as part of Charter Review has confirmed that there is widespread public support for the BBC and acceptance of the licence fee as the 'least worst' method of funding it.

2012 Olympics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she is planning to put in place to combat performance enhancing drugs use in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Richard Caborn: The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) is aiming to put in place an anti-doping programme of the highest standards for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012.
	A Chief Medical Officer will be appointed whose responsibilities will include putting in place appropriate testing procedures to combat the use of performance enhancing drugs at the Games. It is anticipated that up to 5,000 athletes will be tested over the period of the Games. Testing procedures will be in accordance with standards set down by the IOC and WADA.
	In the meantime, LOCOG continues to work very closely with UK Sport, which, as the country's national anti-doping organisation, will continue to run and implement the national anti-doping strategy in accord with the World Anti-Doping Code, in order to combat the use of performance enhancing drugs within the United Kingdom in the lead-up to 2012.

2012 Olympics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures she is planning to encourage engagement with the 2012 Olympics from countries with historically low participation rates.

Richard Caborn: In Singapore, London 2012 said that the welfare of athletes would be at the very heart of planning for a London Games.
	In order to deliver on this, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will put in place a range of measures and policies to enable smooth and straightforward engagement of overseas countries through their National Olympic and Paralympic Committees.
	LOCOG has already announced that it will make contributions of up to 26,000 to all National Olympic Committees / National Paralympic Committees that use approved facilities in the UK (those included in the Guide that LOCOG will publish in 2008). This will also help teams and athletes from small nations who would not otherwise have the financial resources to prepare their athletes for the 2012 Games.
	In Singapore, Lord Coe promised that a London Games would reach young people all around the world and connect them with the inspirational power of the Games so they are inspired to choose sport.
	The Department is taking forward work with key partners as to how best to improve the sporting experiences of young people globally, particularly in developing countries, and realise this aspiration with sustainable sports development.

2012 Olympics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions have taken place on involvement of the Millennium Dome site in 2012 Olympics planning.

Richard Caborn: The O2 Dome is a confirmed London 2012 venue which will host the basketball finals, artistic gymnastics and trampolining events. The London 2012 Organising Committee, the body responsible for the preparation and staging of the Games has an ongoing dialogue with the owners of the O2 Dome.

2012 Olympics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of the summer 2006 Olympic Roadshow.

Richard Caborn: The 2012 Roadshow was funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), with contributions from Camelot (benefits in kind), Transport for London (9,000) and Sport England (5,000).
	Aside from staff (and travel, accommodation and related) costs, the Department's expenditure was approximately 22,600. The vast majority of this arose from the hire of the Roadshow bus from Arriva plc, associated expenses and a contribution towards the cost of 'wrapping' the exterior of the bus.
	LOCOG contributed a similar amount of money as well as providing event management and planning support, with colleagues from the London 2012 Nations and Regions Group.
	Camelot provided creative services during the design of the bus's wrapping and elite athletes to support Roadshow activities during the three-week tour, which coincided with the launch of the National Lottery's Dream Number game in support of the 2012 Games. Transport for London contributed to the cost of wrapping the bus, while Sport England made a contribution towards the cost of printed material, merchandise etc.
	The Roadshow, which aimed to ensure that as many people as possible across the UK were made aware of and able to take part in the unique opportunities that the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games can bring, was developed in partnership with the Devolved Administrations and regional stakeholders, who were responsible for costs incurred at a local level.

2012 Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what threshold her Department has agreed above which it must seek Treasury approval for expenditure related to the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The threshold of expenditure by the Olympic Delivery Authority above which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport must seek Treasury approval is 20 million.

2012 Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has included the costs of employing staff in her Department to work on the 2012 Olympics within her latest estimate for the cost of the games.

Tessa Jowell: No. I explained that the costs to which I referred at Select Committee on 21 November are the costs of developing the Olympic Park. The combined pay and non-pay administration costs of the staff in the Government Olympic Executive of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are funded from within the provision for DCMS running costs that has been agreed by HM Treasury.

2012 Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Government Department or agency will hold and administer the programme contingency fund to be included in the revised Olympic budget.

Tessa Jowell: The appropriate level of programme contingency and the precise arrangements for its management are still under discussion and will be settled in due course.

2012 Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 99-100W, on the 2012 Olympics, 
	(1)  on what date the report by KPMG was completed and presented to her Department;
	(2)  what mention the report prepared by KPMG made of VAT costs for the Olympics;
	(3)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by KPMG.

Tessa Jowell: Pursuant to my reply of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 99-100W, KPMG were commissioned in October 2005 to provide advice on the cost of the Olympic Games. That advice, which includes estimates of VAT costs, has been provided on an ongoing basis and consequently there is no report to place in the Library.

2012 Olympics

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her latest estimate is of the maximum cost of the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: As I said to the Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport on 21 November, the increase in the costs of the Olympic Park, excluding regeneration, is 900 million, taking the cost of the Parks to 3.3 million. I also explained that discussions within Government are continuing on the issues of security, contingency and tax liability. This is work in progress.

2012 Olympics

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will discuss with the Treasury the creation of a fund to assist in the development of facilities outside London linked to the 2012 Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The Government are determined that the whole of the UK can contribute to and benefit from the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. A Nations and Regions Group (NRG), comprising representatives from every region and nation, has been established to provide leadership and strategic direction. Areas of potential benefit include business opportunities, hosting pre-games training camps, tourism, culture and volunteering opportunities. Each nation and region is involving all key agencies in developing a delivery plan to ensure that these opportunities are maximised.
	We are already investing over 1 billion in over 4,000 new or refurbished sports facilities. A further 40 million is available for the Community Club Development Programme over 2006-08 and a proportion of the 35 million for the National Sports Foundation will also be spent on facilities.

Access to Sport

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made towards equality of access to sport for men and women.

Tessa Jowell: Through Sport England and other key partners, we continue to work towards my Department's PSA target to increase women's participation by 3 per cent. by the year 2008.
	We are implementing a range of measures including the National Sport Foundation's 'Women into Sport' programme which aims to increase female participation in grassroots sport.
	The Equality Standard for Sport, launched in 2004, is being rolled out by the Home Country Sports Councils across National Governing Bodies and County Sports Partnerships as a framework to assist them in reducing inequalities in their sports. The majority of NGBs have already achieved the first of four levels that make up the standard.
	We also welcome the new public sector duty on gender equality in the Equality Act 2006 that will require local authorities from April 2007 to have due regard for the promotion of equality of opportunity between women and men when exercising their public functions. Local authorities are a key delivery partner in contributing towards our PSA target.

Annual Report

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to the public purse was of subsidising the artwork Naked Man on Breakwater Wrapped in Lightbulbs featuring on pages 10-11 of her Department's Annual Report 2006.

David Lammy: Naked Man on Breakwater Wrapped in Lightbulbs is a still taken from a film entitled Andout.
	This film was funded by Arts Council England in 2002 for 7,000. Other partners included the Creative Arts Consortium and Dance City in Newcastle. It was premiered in 2003 and has been shown extensively in the UK and internationally including Athens and Toronto.

Art Galleries

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what percentage of her Department's funding for art galleries was received by galleries outside London in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what percentage of art galleries which are receiving funding from her Department in 2006-07 are outside London.

David Lammy: Many institutions that receive departmental funding hold both museum and art gallery collections within a single institutional entity. It is not possible to disaggregate the funding that is received solely by the art galleries within these institutions. Hence the data in the table relate solely to separate art galleries sponsored directly by the Department, or visual arts organisations in receipt of regular funding from Arts Council England.
	The Department sponsors six art galleries outside of Londonthe Lady Lever Art Gallery, the Walker Art Gallery, Tate Liverpool, Tate St. Ives, the Laing Art Gallery and the Shipley Art Galleryand four in London: the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern.
	
		
			  Gallery  Grant in aid received by sponsored art galleries outside London, 2006-07 
			 National Museums LiverpoolLady Lever Art Gallery () 458,000 
			 National Museums LiverpoolWalker Art Gallery () 1,352,000 
			 TateTate Liverpool () 3,614,931 
			 TateTate St. Ives () 1,081,575 
			 Tyne and Wear MuseumsLaing Art Gallery () 264,180 
			 Tyne and Wear MuseumsShipley Art Gallery () 119,690 
			 Total () 6,890,376 
			 Total as a percentage of all sponsored galleries 10.29 
		
	
	In addition, Arts Council England has allocated 13,189,179 in 2006-07 to art galleries outside London. This represents 60.89 per cent. of the total funding to art galleries distributed by Arts Council England in 2006-07.
	82.89 per cent. of art galleries that received Arts Council funding in 2006-07 are outside London.

Arts Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a list of all arts projects funded from public money in the last year for which information is available.

David Lammy: I will arrange for the available information to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

British Films

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the new cultural test for British films on the British film industry.

Shaun Woodward: A full regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was undertaken when the initial cultural test was introduced in February 2006. Since then, a further RIA has been undertaken to assess the revised cultural test.
	The introduction of the test will benefit the UK film industry by encouraging the production of culturally British films, (which have British content) and make a contribution to British culture, using British film-making facilities or practitioners.

British Films

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which British films her Department has funded since May 1997; and which of these made a box office profit.

Shaun Woodward: Since its inception in 2000, the UK Film Council has been responsible for administrating Government funding for film production. During that time the council has funded 108 films. I am arranging for a full list to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The list details the known box office receipts worldwide for each film. It is not possible to determine what percentage of these receipts is profit.

British Films

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the new cultural test for British film on the number of British films produced each year.

Shaun Woodward: In designing the new cultural test the Department, working with the UK Film Council, assessed a number of British films to consider the impact of the test on future film production. We believe the new test will make a significant positive impact in sustaining the British film industry.

British Films

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding was granted by her Department to the British Film Institute in each year since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: The levels of funding granted by the Department to the British Film Institute for each year are as follows:
	
		
			   Amount ( million) 
			 1997-98 16 
			 1998-99 15.10 
			 1999-2000 16.91 
			 2000-01 (1)16.45 
			 2001-02 14.05 
			 2002-03 14.5 
			 2003-04 14.7 
			 2004-05 (2)16.8 
			 2005-06 (3)19 
			 (1 )14.5 million core + 1.5 million one-off DCMS additional funding for re-structuring + 0.45 million advance from 2001-02 funding.  (2 )16.0 million + 0.8 million DCMS modernisation funding.  (3 )16 million + 1 million DCMS modernisation funding + 2 million UK Film Council capital award. 
		
	
	Since 2000, departmental funding to the BFI has been directed through the UK Film Council, the Government's strategic agency for film.

British Films

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Government support was given to the British Film Institute Imax cinema in each year since 1999.

Shaun Woodward: The Imax received a 15 million capital grant towards building costs from Arts Council England in 2000. Since this time, the screen has operated without public funding support. Any surplus generated has been re-invested into the BFI.

British Films

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the  (a) return and  (b) net economic impact from funding for film production in the UK for each type of subsidy given.

David Lammy: The most recent comprehensive report, undertaken by Oxford Economic Forecasting in 2005, suggests that the UK film industry received 124 million through tax incentives, lottery and grant-in-aid funding in 2004-05. In the same period, it estimates that UK film added 3.1 billion to GDP, whilst tax receipts on film-related activity amounted to 850 million.

British Museum

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date Sir Ronald Cohen took up his position on the Board of the British Museum; and what expenses he has claimed since his appointment.

David Lammy: Sir Ronald Cohen took up his position on the Board of the British Museum on 1 January 2005.
	He has not claimed any expenses since his appointment.

Cinemas

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of independent cinemas which have closed in each year since 1997.

Shaun Woodward: Routinely collected information on cinema openings and closures does not detail which screens are independently owned. Extracting this information from the dataset would be possible only at disproportionate cost.
	However, cinema closures since 1998 are set out in the table:
	
		
			   Sites  Screens 
			 1998 24 46 
			 1999 44 111 
			 2000 37 94 
			 2001 44 123 
			 2002 63 130 
			 2003 37 76 
			 2004 63 97 
			 2005 28 75 
			 Total 340 752 
		
	
	Over the same period, 140 sites opened with 1,438 screens.

Cultural Leadership Fund

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects have been funded to date by the Cultural Leadership Fund; what the cost has been of administering that fund; what the cost was of the Call for Ideas; how many responses were received; who the Core Group of Stakeholders were which co-launched the appeal; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The following projects have been funded by the Cultural Leadership Fund to date:
	 Clore Leadership Programme Short Courses: 1,137,500 over two years.
	The Clore Leadership Programme, working with selected universities and business schools in England, is delivering a series of 13 two-week intensive residential courses designed to cultivate the skills of emerging cultural leaders.
	 Catalyst... Unleashed... in partnership with Unilever: 45,000.
	Practitioners from the cultural sector have joined Unilever's in-house team to take part in two pilots for leadership development. This creative leadership development programme has offered the opportunity for a commercial business and cultural sector collaboration in learning.
	 Creative Knowledge Lab: 2,500,000 over two years.
	CKL is being developed by Creative  Cultural Skills to provide a unique and comprehensive web- based resource for cultural leaders at all stages of their careers to develop and manage their leadership progression and potential.
	 Leadership Development Networks: 1,029 over two years.
	Piloting leadership development through network activity and identifying shared ambitions. Fourteen pilot networks have been funded so far spanning the full range of industries from craft to design, performing and visual arts, libraries and museums.
	The remaining programme resources will be spread across the six priority areas and there is a commitment to ensuring that the largest possible resources reach leaders in the sector directly.
	 Administration costs
	2005-0683,000 which included developing, promoting and reviewing the Call for Ideas as well as staffing, publicity distribution and consultation to establish and agree the parameters for the programme.
	2006-07these are estimated at under 150,000.
	 Call for Ideas
	The Call for Ideas was conducted from July to October 2005 and elicited 170 written responses and 75 interviews with stakeholders as well as current and emerging leaders across the cultural sector.
	 Core Group of Stakeholders
	The Cultural Leadership Programme was developed by a Steering Group comprising: Arts Council England (ACE), Clore Leadership Programme, Creative  Cultural Skills (CCS), Department for Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).
	Since June 2006, the three sector lead organisations, ACE, CCS and the MLA have formed the Cultural Leadership Delivery Partnership, a unique cross-sector collaboration to support the programme.

Culture Online

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of Culture Online in 2005-06; and how many hits it has had in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: The cost of Culture Online (COL) was 6,392,718 in 2005-06. Hits to COL's websites numbered 121,763,900 in the last 12 months. Three projects do not collect hitsOrigination, Playground Fun and Plant Cultures. There is no direct correlation between the cost of Culture Online and hits to the websites.
	COL's work also includes substantial outreach activity and largely focuses on hard-to-reach audiences.

Culture West Midlands

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who elected the board of Culture West Midlands when it became a company limited by guarantee.

David Lammy: Board members were appointed by the Chair of Culture West Midlands, Dr. Brian Woods-Scawen, in accordance with guidance issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Culture West Midlands

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of sending the Culture West Midlands delegation to Brussels; and who was on the delegation.

David Lammy: The total cost to Culture West Midlands was 5,600. The delegation consisted of:
	Brian Woods-Scawen, Chair, Culture West Midlands
	Jonnie Turpie, Deputy Chair, Culture West Midlands
	Tim Bryan, Executive Director, Culture West Midlands
	Paul Udenze, Board Member, Culture West Midlands
	Maureen Compton, Board Member, Culture West Midlands
	Dorothy Wilson, Board Member, Culture West Midlands
	Ian Ward, Board Member, Culture West Midlands
	Sir William Lawrence, Board Member, Culture West Midlands
	Caroline Foxhall, Arts Council England West Midlands
	Liz Charlton, Government Office for the West Midlands
	Jenny Boylan, West Midlands Regional Assembly
	Loretta Sollars, Sport England West Midlands
	Krysia Rozanska, Screen West Midlands
	Mary Matthews, Advantage West Midlands
	Marilyn Lewis, Shropshire County Council
	Belinda Mifflin, Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Bettina Reisser, Arts Council England
	Gavin Willetts, Culture West Midlands
	Laura Moore, Culture West Midlands
	Pialli Ray, Sampad
	Natalie Wint, Youth Delegate
	Jean Nicholson, Birmingham Opera Company
	Chris Saint, West Midlands Local Government Association and Regional Assembly
	Amayra Fuller, Youth Delegate
	Shalia Sharif, Youth Delegate
	Deb Rudge, University of Central England

Culture West Midlands

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost was of rebranding Culture West Midlands.

David Lammy: The cost of rebranding, carried out in conjunction with the publishing and launching of Culture West Midlands' regional action plan, is estimated to have been 2,500.

Departmental Equipment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her Department's  (a) computers and  (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period.

David Lammy: In each of the last nine years my Department has had the following laptops and computers stolen:
	2001: one laptop (approximately 1,250) and one computer (approximately 1,000).
	2002: two laptops (approximately 1,309 each) and three computers (approximately 1,185 each).
	2003: one laptop (approximately 1,400 each) and three computers (approximately 1,250 each).
	The total value of stolen computers and laptops was approximately 13,573. We do not hold the exact figures. The values quoted are based on other, similar items purchased at the time.
	There were no computers or laptops stolen in 2006, 2005, 2004, 2000, 1999 and 1998.

Departmental Survey

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to date has been of her Department's survey Taking Part; and how many responses to the survey her Department has received.

David Lammy: To date, the total cost is 3,200,000 and just fewer than 40,000 interviews have been achieved. The Taking Part survey started in July 2005.

Digital Switchover

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of residents in Whitehaven who will qualify for targeted assistance for the switch to digital; and when she expects such assistance to be paid.

Shaun Woodward: We estimate that around 8,000 households affected by the switchover in Whitehaven will be eligible for assistance from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme.
	We are working with key stakeholders, including the BBC, to ensure that the help scheme is delivered effectively to those eligible in order to support the transition to digital-only broadcasting which will take place in Whitehaven in October and November 2007.

Digital Switchover

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her answer of 22 November 2006,  Official Report, column 113W, on digital switchover, what factors contributed to the increase in eligibility for targeted assistance from the 6.5 million reported in the Government Response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's Report on Analogue Switch-Off, presented to Parliament in June 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The estimate of the number of households eligible for assistance from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme covers the period from the end of 2007 with the switchover in Whitehaven until the end of 2012.
	The estimate is based on benefit statistics published by DWP and adjusted by future forecasts of the number of over-75 households, and the number of people receiving the qualifying disability benefits. The most recent estimatesrevised since June 2006take account of more recent DWP data, including revisions to forecasts of disability benefit and pension credit and the proportion of households.

Digital Switchover

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on the digital switchover.

Shaun Woodward: We have received around 200 letters from the public on a range of digital switchover issues in recent months.
	We also work closely with key stakeholders, including consumer groups, to ensure that their concerns are addressed.

Football Sponsorships

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Gambling Commission is expected to report on sponsorship of football clubs by gambling companies.

Richard Caborn: We are keenly aware of the concerns that are being raised on this issue, and wish to expose them to public debate well before the Gambling Act comes fully into force later next year. To this end, the Gambling Commission will be inviting views on the potential impact on children and other vulnerable people of branded football and other sporting strips as part of its wider consultation on advertising, including its potential uses for public education on responsible gambling.

Historic Ships

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on the development of  (a) an advisory committee and  (b) a policy on historic ships; and whether (i) the acquisition of new vessels and (ii) the support of privately-owned vessels are covered by the policy in its current state of development.

David Lammy: The chair of the Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships, Dr. Robert Prescott, was appointed by the Minister for Culture on 12 April 2006, and eight committee members were appointed on 12 July 2006: Roger Hanbury, John Kearon, Dr. Campbell McMurray, David Newberry, Martin Parr, John Robinson, Matthew Tanner and Captain Simon Waite. Further appointment processes are being undertaken to select committee members to represent Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
	It is not the Government's policy to provide funding for historic ships directly, other than through grant-in-aid to centrally funded museums which hold vessels of historic significance in their collection. However, through the activities of the Advisory Committee on National Historic Ships, the Government aim to deliver a policy which enables the identification of priorities for the preservation of historic vessels; ensures that guidance on preservation and recording strategies is widely available; and promotes public interest in ships, and their educational value. The committee will therefore advise the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on national historic ship preservation and funding priorities. It will also provide leadership and strategic vision across the national historic ships community and wider maritime sector by acting as a focus for advice on aspects of preservation, helping both public and private owners achieve a sustainable future for their historic vessels. The committee is currently consulting on its document 'Understanding Historic Vessels', which is a first step in establishing criteria through which historic ships can be properly recorded, understood and, wherever possible, preserved.
	Capital funding for historic ship projects will continue to be dealt with by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and other public and private grant-giving bodies. However, the committee will act as a source of advice to the HLF on preservation priorities and individual applications it receives to fund historic ships, and to other public funding bodies.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has provided funding for the running costs of the committee from 2005-06 to 2007-08, and in 2006-08 there is allowance for a revenue challenge fund of 80,000 per annum to support activities relating to the preservation of historic vessels.

Horserace Betting Levy Board

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how funds raised by the Horserace Betting Levy Board were spent in 2005-06; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Full details are set out in the Levy Board's annual report, a copy of which is available in the House Library. A copy is also available via the Board's website: www.hblb.org.uk http://www.hblb.org.uk.

Kenneth Budd Mural, Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to preserve for the nation the Kenneth Budd mosaic mural in Kettering.

David Lammy: This is a local matter and therefore it would not be appropriate for me to intervene.

Land Sales

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to page 107 of her Department's annual report, what the  (a) value and  (b) previous use was of (i) the land due to be sold off to the north of the British Library and (ii) the five residential properties in Windsor; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The information is as follows:
	(i) The land to the north of the British Library St. Pancras was professionally revalued at 26.6million as at 31 March 2006.
	The whole of the site of the former Somers Town goods yard was acquired for the original 1970s design of the British Library. The revised design of the Library completed in 1997 left the land to the north undeveloped.
	The southern part of the site is currently leased to the British Library Board for car parking. The northern part of this site has been subject to a planning block under the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996, and has been under temporary possession by CTRL as a working site for construction of the adjacent St. Pancras International terminal. The valuation takes account of this planning block.
	(ii) The freeholds of five properties in Windsor are held in the name of the Secretary of State. The leases are owned by private individuals who have long-term leaseholds for each property. Negotiations are continuing with the leaseholders over individual sales. One freehold was sold in May 2006 for 44,000.

Leak Inquiries

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions her Department has conducted a leak inquiry since May 1997; what the subjects of those leak inquiries were; and who authorised each inquiry.

David Lammy: The Department has conducted two inquiries since May 1997.
	It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on the subject or outcome of leak inquiries as there is a continued necessity to safeguard security and investigative arrangements.

National Lottery

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of National Lottery grants awarded since May 1997 have funded areas outside the original remit of the Lottery.

Richard Caborn: The remit of the Lottery is to raise money for the good causes. Originally there were four good causes of sports, arts, heritage and celebration of the third millennium.
	In 1998 a fifth good cause of 'health, education and the environment' was created. Until its dissolution into the Big Lottery Fund on 1 December, the New Opportunities Fund was the only organisation that could distribute Lottery money under this good cause.
	Since its inception, the New Opportunities Fund has awarded 37,000 grants, or 15 per cent. of the 252,000 National Lottery grants made by all distributors.
	This information is derived from the Department's Lottery award database, searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

National Lottery

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the uncommitted balance is of  (a) the Lottery Fund and  (b) the New Opportunities Fund.

Richard Caborn: At the end of September 2006, the National Lottery Distribution Fund's balance was 1,942 million, and commitments totalled 2,823 million, 881 million more than the balance. Within that overall total, there was 58 million of uncommitted funds from five of the 15 distributors existing at that time.
	On 1 December, the New Opportunities Fund, the Community Fund and the Millennium Commission were dissolved to form the Big Lottery Fund.
	At the end of September 2006, the New Opportunities Fund's balance was 477 million and its commitments totalled 531 million, so it was overcommitted by 53 million.

National Lottery

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the lottery provides funds to organisations seeking to promote non-violence and peace to young people; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The distributing bodies for lottery grants make their funding decisions independently of Government and consider each application on its own merits and against their published criteria.
	More than 9 billion of national lottery funding has been awarded to projects benefiting children and young peoplehalf of the total raised for good causes to date. Many of these grants have gone to groups promoting non-violence and peace to young people. Beneficiaries include Youth Action for Peace UK and the Mission for Peace Group.

National Lottery

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost has been of the National Lottery Promotions Unit since 1997.

Richard Caborn: The National Lottery Promotions Unit was established in September 2003. The current lottery licence holder has provided half the funding for the unit with the other half coming from the lottery distributing bodies.
	The total cost of the unit since its inception has been 9,402,000.

National Sports Foundation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made by the National Sports Foundation in developing new sports facilities; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The National Sports Foundation was established in April 2006 with three key priorities: getting more children and young people into sport, involving more women playing sport, and investment into clubs, coaches and volunteers in local communities. Within these priorities, the NSF has provisionally awarded 1,588,000 towards developing new sports facilities.

Obesity

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to tackle obesity through sport.

Tessa Jowell: As part of my Department's ongoing work to halt the year-on-year rise in obesity for the under-11s by 2010, we have been working closely with the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills.
	The National School Sport Strategy, jointly implemented by DCMS and DfES, is a key component of a 'whole school' programme for addressing obesity. The 2005-06 school sport survey found that overall 80 per cent. of pupils participate in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport a week. This exceeded the target of 75 per cent. for 2006 and demonstrates a considerable increase from the estimated 25 per cent. in 2002. This target will rise to 85 per cent. by 2008. By 2010 we will offer all children an additional two to three hours beyond the school day.
	Many school sport partnerships already work to tackle obesity and they will do more to focus action on those children most at risk.

Physical Activity

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what definitions of moderate physical activity were used in  (a) the Government's Game Plan 2002 and  (b) Sport England's Active People survey 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The definition of 'moderate intensity' used in both Game Plan and Sport England's Active People survey is the same and refers to activity which is enough to cause an increase in breathing rate. The Active People survey measures 'activity' in sport and active recreation as defined in the Department's public service agreement (PSA) target. The Game Plan definition of 'activity' is broader and includes, for example, gardening, household work and DIY.

Private Finance Initiatives

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 809-10W, on private finance initiatives (PFI), what the time scale is over which her Department will pay PFI credits for each project; and what the total estimated cost is of contributions by her Department to repayments for each project over the length of the contract.

David Lammy: The following table lists each of the Department's 12 projects, the time scale over which the Department will pay PFI credits for each project and the total estimated cost of contributions by DCMS to repayments over the length of the contract.
	
		
			  Project location/local authority  Time scale over which DCMS will pay PFI credits (years)  Total estimated cost of contributions by DCMS to repayments over the length of the contract ( million) 
			 Amber Valley 34 17.5 
			 Bournemouth 30 6 
			 Breckland 32.5 9.5 
			 Brent 25 14.3 
			 Brighton and Hove 25 11.93 
			 Croydon 30 4.6 
			 Lewisham 32 12.659 
			 Oldham 25 13 
			 Penwith 30 6.4 
			 Sefton 25 6.2 
			 Uttlesford 33 5.8 
			 Wolverhampton 30 10.9

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 597W, on procurement projects, what facilities management services provision she is referring to.

David Lammy: This entry refers to the re-tendering of the facilities management service for the DCMS office estate. The contract to provide FM services to DCMS for five years was awarded to MITIE Managed Services.

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 597W, on procurement projects, who the recipients were of the funding for the  (a) Olympic Games Impact Study of Ceremonial Requirements,  (b) non-departmental public bodies' programmes,  (c) validation of Olympic Games costs study,  (d) culture online feasibility study,  (e) project management training,  (f) BBC consultancy requirement,  (g) study to identify the priorities of local communities,  (h) the provision of a skills audit solution and  (i) management of a 360-degree feedback system; and what the purpose of each project was.

David Lammy: Please note that pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 597W, on procurement projects, this was printed incorrectly and that part  (a) of the question relates to two separate projects.
	 (a) The contract for an Olympic Games impact study was awarded to Economics for the Environment Consultancy Ltd. The purpose of the project was to assess the likely economic, social and environmental benefits of hosting the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in London 2012, and to develop strategies to achieve and maximise benefits across the UK.
	The contract for the management of ceremonial requirements was awarded to EC Harris. The purpose of this contract was to provide work management services for state visits, Remembrance Sunday and other ceremonial events.
	 (b) Contracts for the review of non-departmental public bodies programmes were awarded to Capita Business Services Ltd., Lorien Consulting, and Pannell Kerr Forster (PKF). The purpose of the project was to ensure that NDPBs were delivering maximum value for public money.
	 (c) The contract for the validation of Olympic Games costs was awarded to KPMG. The purpose of this contract was to provide advice on the cost of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
	 (d) The contract for a feasibility study into formation of Culture Online was awarded to McKinsey  Company. The purpose of the project was to provide an assessment of the need for Culture Online.
	 (e) The contract for project management training was awarded to the National School for Government. The purpose of the project was to develop and deliver a major programme of project-based working training for all DCMS staff.
	 (f) The contract for a BBC consultancy was awarded to Pannell Kerr Forster (PKF). The purpose of the project was to examine the current and potential efficiencies of the BBC and to analyse the BBC's licence fee bid.
	 (g) The contract for the study to identify priorities of local communities was awarded to PA Consulting. The purpose of the project was to deliver a new strategic framework to maximise the way in which DCMS identifies, and responds to, the priorities of local communities.
	 (h) The contract for the provision of a skills audit was awarded to Hay Group. The purpose of the project was to identify the skill and knowledge base of the Department, in order to inform future learning and development strategies and facilitate the sharing of knowledge and good practice.
	 (i) The contract for the management of a 360- degree feedback system was awarded to ASK Europe plc. The purpose of the project was to develop and deliver a reporting mechanism for 360-degree feedback that would improve management performance across the Department.

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 597W, on procurement projects, for which projects funding to Touchstone change management consultancy was made.

David Lammy: The contract for the Touchstone change management consultancy was awarded to Stanton Marris. The purpose of the project was to develop and deliver a cultural change strategy for DCMS.

Procurement Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 597W, on procurement projects, who the recipients were of the funding for the evaluation of National Regional Museums.

David Lammy: The contract to evaluate National Regional Museums was awarded to the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries at the University of Leicester.

Public Service Broadcasting

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to encourage a continued public service commitment in the independent broadcasting sector.

David Lammy: The Government are committed to maintaining a healthy public service broadcasting sector within a dynamic and competitive market place.
	The Communications Act places a specific duty on Ofcom to maintain and strengthen the quality of public service television broadcasting. It is obliged to undertake periodic reviews of the sector, the next of which is set to be completed by 2009-10.

Radio Frequencies

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the proposals are for selling the radio frequencies used for wireless microphones used in entertainment and the voluntary sector; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Ofcom manages the spectrum used for programme making and special events, which is currently licensed by JFMG under contract to Ofcom until 2008.
	On 17 November Ofcom announced 2005 the beginning of the Digital Dividend Review project to examine the options arising from the release of spectrum afforded by the digital switchover programme. The DDR project also includes consideration of the spectrum currently being used by the PMSE sector. Ofcom is planning to issue a consultation on 19 December.

Rural Areas

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what programmes of support her Department makes available to rural areas; and what the financial cost of those programmes is expected to be in 2007-08.

David Lammy: Our aim to improve the quality of life through cultural and sporting activities applies to both rural and urban areas. Funding is distributed through several sponsored bodies. These include Arts Council England, Sport England, English Heritage and Visit Britain. These in turn deliver funding across a number of activities and institutions. We are not able to attribute national spending specifically to rural programmes.
	Renaissance in the Regions is an example of how our programmes benefit rural communities. This programme benefits groups of museums, including the Renaissance Hubs, with grants to Subject Specialist Networks and through the Museum Development Fund. These include projects in isolated communities in the north-east Northumberland, Cumbria and East Anglia, in Cornwall, East Yorkshire and Shropshire.

School Sport

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department has provided for competitive sport in schools; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: As part of the National School Sport Strategy, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Skills are establishing a network of competition managers across the country to improve the quality and quantity of competitive sport in schools through the local implementation of the National School Competition Framework.
	The first wave of 20 competition managers was appointed from September 2005. In their first academic year, they created 690 new competitions involving nearly 40,000 young people. We are currently recruiting a further 42 competition managers. We expect to have at least 90 competition managers in place by the end of 2007.
	In addition, we have also established the UK School Games, a multi-sport event for talented school-age children. The inaugural event was held in Glasgow between 7 and 10 September. The 2007 games will be held in Coventry. Our aim is that this event will become the pinnacle of school sport competition and used to develop the content, structure and presentation of competitive sporting opportunities for young people.

School Sport

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to focus on ethnic minorities under the School Sport Partnerships programme.

Richard Caborn: The Government are committed to developing a culture that enables and values the full involvement of all children and young people. The National School Sport Strategy is creating equal opportunities in which all children and young people can participate in high quality PE and school sport by responding to the diverse learning needs, capabilities, and preferences of all children and young people.
	As from September 2006 all maintained schools in England are in one of the 450 live School Sport Partnerships. The 2005-06 school sport survey showed that 80 per cent. of pupils were doing at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport per week, exceeding the joint DCMS/DfES PSA target of 75 per cent.
	We will continue to work with our key delivery agent, the Youth Sport Trust, to ensure that resources and support are targeted at Partnerships where achievement is lowest, including those areas with high ethnic minority populations.

School Sport

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the results were of the most recent Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links survey of improvements in opportunities in PE and school sport for disabled young people;
	(2)  if she will undertake an audit of disabled pupils' participation in PE and sport;
	(3)  how she plans to use the information gathered in the Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links survey in relation to gifted and talented pupils to support the Paralympics in London 2012;
	(4)  what systems are in place for  (a) disabled children and  (b) those newly acquiring a disability to gain access to sport (i) in school and (ii) in the community; and what assessment she has made of the extent to which those systems are adequate to meet the medal aspirations for the Paralympics in London 2012.

Richard Caborn: The National School Sport Strategy is creating equal opportunities in which all young people can participate in high quality PE and school sport by responding to the diverse learning needs, capabilities and preferences.
	An analysis of the School Sport Survey 2005-06 shows that 82 per cent. of all pupils in special schools, which are schools provided by local authorities for certain children with special educational needs, are now receiving two hours high quality PE and sport per week. This is above the national average of 80 per cent.
	All schools are now in one of the 450 School Sport Partnerships. There are 11 special schools which are Specialist Sports Colleges and eight of these act as hub sites for their School Sport Partnership. These schools are leading the way on curriculum development, teaching and learning as well as ensuring this expertise is shared. In addition, there are 110 School Sport Co-ordinators based within these special schools and their role is to support networks of other special schools and advise mainstream schools on developing high quality opportunities beyond the curriculum time and links to community activities.
	A national working group comprising the Youth Sport Trust, Sport England, UK Sport and the British Paralympic Association have been working in partnership to create a playground-to-podium framework. The framework combines the expertise and functions of these four agencies along with governing bodies of sport, disability sport organisations, school sport and county sport partnerships to ensure England is able to identify and support talent leading to the 2012 Paralympic Games. The framework is due to be released in February 2007.
	In addition, the Government have also funded the development of the new Paralympic Education Resource Ability vs Ability which is a web-based cross-curricular resource developed by the BPA and the NASUWT. The project aims to raise awareness of disability, disability sport and the Paralympic movement through education.
	The inaugural UK School Games was held in Glasgow in September 2006. The UKSG will be held annually to 2011 providing opportunities for talented young athletes to showcase their skills as well as giving them the experience of competing in a multi-sport event. The 2006 event featured two disability sportsswimming and athleticsand provision for disability sports will increase in future years.
	There are also a number of specific schemes aimed at supporting talented disabled athletes which will contribute towards our target to be first in the Paralympic medal table in 2012. The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) enables talented athletes to continue in their sport beyond the age of 16 while pursuing further or higher education. TASS 2012, a strand of the TASS programme, supports our most talented 12 to 18-year-olds in a variety of Olympic, Paralympic, non-Olympic and non-Paralympic sports. Between 2004 and 2008, the Government will have committed 17 million to TASS and TASS 2012.

South Bank Centre

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department provided to the South Bank Centre in 2005-06, broken down by main budget heading.

David Lammy: As one of its regularly funded organisations, Arts Council England's revenue grant to the South Bank Centre was 17,948,586 during 2005-06. The centre received 438,000 from the council in relation to the care of the Arts Council Collection and the purchase of new work. The council has also advanced 5 million from the 2006-07 revenue grant.
	The centre has received 2 million of capital funding during 2005-06 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport towards the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall. This was part of a one-off 5 million payment completed in 2006.
	During the period of the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall, due to be completed in summer 2007, the council will have provided 25,383,000 of capital lottery funding, in addition to 5 million funding directly related to closure and change management costs.

Staff Bonuses

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been awarded to staff members in special bonuses in the last year for which figures are available; what provision was made for this expenditure; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport 53,436 was awarded to staff in special bonuses during 2005-06. Provision is made annually for such bonus payments by setting aside 0.4 per cent. of the pay bill specifically for this purpose.

Telephone Services

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the  (a) schedule and  (b) consultation process is for the regulation of 0871 numbers; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: From early 2008, the premium rate services regulator, the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) will regulate 0871 telephone numbers. Extension of the regulatory framework for premium rate services is in accordance with the decision of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) published on 19 April 2006, following public consultation. ICSTIS will lead the development of regulatory proposals for the 0871 range of numbers. A decision on how 0871 services will be regulated has not been taken and ICSTIS will consult on plans before they are introduced. An outline timetable proposes public consultation on regulatory safeguards during February and March 2007 with a view to submitting proposals to Ofcom and the EU in July 2007 and ICSTIS' regulation of 0871 services taking effect in January 2008. ICSTIS expect to make available a full project plan early in 2007.

Think Tank

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to date has been of the think tank established within her Strategy Division; and which non-civil servants participate in the work of the think tank.

David Lammy: The estimated annual cost of the think tank within the Strategy Division is as follows:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 58,190 
			 2005-06 86,349 
			 2006-07 61,462 
			  Note: DCMS staff costs are calculated using current capitation rates. 
		
	
	The think tank is currently staffed by DCMS civil servants. Non-civil servants participate in its work through presentations and attendance at think tank seminars. They include academics, staff of our sponsored bodies, members of external think tanks and other external experts from the Third Sector.

Tourism

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget is of the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group in 2006-07; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: There is no budget for the group and costs are minimal. Administrative costs are borne by VisitBritain and any additional costs are shared with members from their own budgets.
	Since its establishment in 2001, the group has an excellent record in planning for and responding to emergencies affecting the tourism industry. It enjoys the full confidence of Government and the industry. The group has also been recognised by the communications industry as an example of best practice, and has been shortlisted on numerous occasions for its crisis response work. In November 2006, the group won the PR Week Award for Best Crisis Communication following the July 2005 terrorist attacks in London.

Wembley Stadium

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the projected cost to the public purse of Wembley National Stadium was  (a) at the outset of the project,  (b) in 1995,  (c) in 2000 and  (d) in 2005; and what the most recent total projected cost of (i) the project and (ii) the associated public realm improvements are.

Richard Caborn: The anticipated public sector contributions to the Wembley stadium project were, respectively:
	
		
			million 
			 1994 (project outset) (1) 
			 1995 120 
			 2000 120 
			 2005 161 
			 (1) Not determined 
		
	
	The anticipated overall project cost is 757 million plus any additional costs arising out of the recently announced commercial settlement between Wembley National Stadium Ltd and Multiplex. The detail of the commercial settlement is a matter for those organisations. The projected cost to the public sector remains at 161 million.

Woburn Place

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the  (a) use and  (b) cost has been of her Department's accommodation in Woburn Place since May 1997; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department occupied part of one floor in a building in Woburn Place through a memorandum of terms of occupancy (MOTO) with The Industrial Tribunals (England and Wales) between 8 October 2001 and 31 March 2005. This space was used as office accommodation for members of the Department. The costs to the Department were 232,404 in 2002-03; 257,844 in 2003-04; and 239,968 in 2004-05. Data for 2001-02 do not separately identify the costs of occupying Woburn Place and those of other departmental buildings.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

1001 Inventions Exhibition

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what funds her Department provided for the development of the  (a) exhibition 1001 Inventions and  (b) schools education pack accompanying the exhibition;
	(2)  where the 1001 Inventions exhibition toured; how long it spent in each location; and what the future itinerary is for the exhibition;
	(3)  how many people have been to see the 1001 Inventions exhibition.

Phil Woolas: Funding was awarded (200,000 for the exhibition and 20,000 for the teaching pack) by the Cohesion and Faiths Unit when it was part of the Home Office. The unit transferred to Communities and Local Government in the recent Machinery of Government changes.
	The exhibition was based at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester from its launch on 7 March 2006 until the 3 September 2006. The exhibition opened at the National Museum in Cardiff on 24 October and will run until 4 February 2007. Negotiations are currently under way to take the exhibition to Glasgow and Birmingham.
	As entrance to the exhibition is free, detailed records of visitor attendance are not available.
	Additional information on the exhibition is available through the website www.1001inventions.com

Affordable Homes

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been built over the last two years.

Yvette Cooper: In England, 77,448 affordable homes (ie those at sub-market prices or rents) were provided in the two years 2004-06. These were either new build or acquisition and refurbishment and were provided through a variety of funded programmes, including an estimate of the affordable homes provided without grant through section 106.

Choice-based Lettings

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she will take to evaluate the pilot projects under way on choice-based lettings.

Yvette Cooper: The evaluation of the (then) Office of the Deputy Prime Minister choice-based lettings (CBL) pilot projects was published in May 2004(1). In October this year, we published an evaluation of the longer term impacts of CBL(2). Both reports are available on the CLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l153336
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l503598
	(1 )Piloting Choice Based Lettings: an Evaluation, ODPM May 2004
	(2) Monitoring the Longer-Term Impacts of Choice-Based Lettings, CLG October 2006

Communications Masts

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidelines have been issued by her Department on planning permission for  (a) mobile telephone masts and  (b) other communications masts.

Meg Munn: Current planning guidance on electronic communications is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8: Telecommunications (PPG8), last revised in August 2001. PPG8 refers to all electronic communications apparatus, not just mobile phone masts.
	PPG8 includes national policies for the protection of the countryside and residential areas, in particular our national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty, conservation areas and sites of special scientific interest.
	The installation of any communications mast in such areas, and of a mast of more than 15 metres in height elsewhere, requires planning permission. Any such planning application will be decided by the local planning authority (or the Secretary of State on appeal) in the light of development plan policies and any other material considerations, including any relevant representations either for or against the proposal.

Community Cohesion

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to encourage the use of the English language in England in order to improve community cohesion.

Phil Woolas: Yes. A key element of the Government's strategy to increase race equality and community cohesion is development of strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds and circumstances in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods. Ability to understand and converse in a common language is essential for all members of society, increasing educational outcomes and employment prospects and the ease with which people can carry out their day-to-day life.
	The Government actively promote language proficiency in programmes of the Department for Education and Skills and the Home Office. For example, since 2001 we have invested over 1 billion in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL); over 1.8 million ESOL learning opportunities have been taken up and over 160,000 learners have achieved a first Skills for Life ESOL qualification. Also, prospective British citizens are required to show a specified level of language competence (as well as knowledge of life in the UK); it was announced on 4 December that from 2 April 2007 this will be extended to those seeking permanent settlement.

Correspondence

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Kettering dated  (a) 25 July and  (b) 24 October on his constituent Mr. Michael Wilson and home information advisers.

Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to the hon. Member's correspondence.

Council Housing: Empty Property

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the proportion of council house stock which remains empty and in need of repair.

Yvette Cooper: At October 2003, the EHCS estimates that there were around 50,000 LA properties which were long-term vacant and/or requiring repairs and improvements to make them decent prior to being relet. Of these 50,000, around 20,000 failed the repair criterion of decent homes. Many of the latter properties will have been vacant (i.e. not relet) at the time of the survey because they were awaiting substantial and possibly disruptive work.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff were employed through employment agencies in  (a) her Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest time was for which these temporary workers were employed in each year.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006 so figures for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are included as follows. The information provided covers the period from August 2004 onwards as information on the numbers of employment agency staff was not held centrally before this.
	 (a) August 2004 to December 2004161
	January 2005 to December 2005214
	January 2006 to December 2006159
	 (b) Information is not held centrally for employment agency staff in CLG agencies,
	(i) temporary workers are employed for around 2-3 months on average;
	(ii) the longest time to date is 7 months.

Departmental Staff

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many temporary employees were contracted to work for her Department in 2005-06; and what the total cost of such employees was in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 1997-98.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006 so figures for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are included in the following figures.
	At any one time the Department employs approximately 120 individuals through employment agencies. The total cost of such employees in  (a) January 2005October 2006 was 3,040,746. The total cost for  (b) 1997-98 is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Travel

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff members in her Department were authorised to travel abroad on official business in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: There were 411 Communities and Local Government staff authorised to travel abroad on official business in the last financial year, primarily within the EU.

Departmental Travel

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) destination and  (b) purpose was of each overseas visit undertaken by staff in her Department in the last 12 months.

Angela Smith: Of the 519 trips overseas undertaken by staff in the last 12 months (covering September 2005 to October 2006 as figures available) on official business the destinations included 479 to Europe; six trips to Africa, 26 trips to North America, one trip to South America and seven trips to Asia (including the middle east).
	Communities and Local Government does not hold central records about the purpose of individual overseas trips. All overseas trips require the approval of the appropriate deputy director, and the general purpose will be to represent the Department and provide expert advice on policy/subject issues.

Disabled Facilities Grant

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the consultation paper on the findings of the review of the Disabled Facilities Grant to be published; what the reasons are for the delay; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government's consultation paper reviewing the Disabled Facilities Grant programme will be published in the new year. This will set out our plans for improving delivery of this important programme. It has taken rather longer than planned to finalise this paper because of the complexity of some of the issues involved.

Domestic Energy Assessors

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the balance struck in the syllabus for national occupational standard for domestic energy assessors between health and safety and other issues.

Yvette Cooper: The development of the national occupational standard for domestic energy assessors has involved extensive consultation with industry, where all stakeholders have had the opportunity to comment on the content of the standard. It is now for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to ensure that the right balance has been struck before granting approval.

Fire and Rescue Service

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has given to the fire and rescue authorities on the recording and reporting of their response times to incidents.

Angela Smith: Fire and rescue services record details of incidents attended on the Department's FDRl and FDR3 returns. The data from these returns are the basis for the fire incident National Statistics collection which covers fires and false alarms attended by fire and rescue services.
	Information on response times is collected on the FDR1 return, which covers primary fires attended by fire and rescue services. A primary fire covers fires in buildings, vehicles and outdoor structures; or any fire involving casualties, rescues or fires attended by five or more appliances.
	For primary fires, fire and rescue services report three response times:
	Time of first call to brigadedefined as 'the time that the first call to the fire was received by fire control'
	Time mobiliseddefined as 'the time when the [fire control] operator finished transmitting the mobilising message (pressed 'send' button)'
	Time of arrival at firedefined as 'the time when the first appliance arrived at the fire ground'
	Times are recorded in hours and minutes, for example, 3.45.
	At present, response times are not collected centrally for other incidents attended by fire and rescue services. These other incidents comprise false alarms, secondary fires and non-fire incidents such as road traffic collisions. However, a new electronic incident recording system (IRS) which is currently being piloted in nine fire and rescue areas will collect response times for these types of incident in future.

Fire and Rescue Service

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many incidents required the fire and rescue service in each fire authority area to evacuate residents for their own safety in each year since 1994.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fire and Rescue Service

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many road accidents the fire and rescue service attended in each fire authority area in each year since 1994; and how many people were rescued from their vehicles in each year.

Angela Smith: The information available is for the period 1995-96 to 2004-05 and is provided in the tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of road traffic incidents attended by the fire and rescue service in England, 1995-96 
			   1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000 
			 Avon 669 644 679 663 657 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 253 313 288 342 363 
			 Buckinghamshire 335 438 437 475 528 
			 Cambridgeshire 565 609 669 596 664 
			 Cheshire 597 654 700 702 711 
			 Cleveland 294 349 473 402 431 
			 Cornwall 259 275 322 348 352 
			 County Durham and Darlington 287 304 343 340 253 
			 Cumbria 268 270 273 271 328 
			 Derbyshire 478 553 541 558 587 
			 Devon 679 772 804 783 901 
			 Dorset 720 357 377 370 417 
			 East Sussex 501 557 477 472 564 
			 Essex 907 1,012 1,050 969 1,097 
			 Gloucestershire 282 343 383 401 454 
			 Greater Manchester 1,255 1,275 1,369 1,271 1,344 
			 Hampshire 822 822 830 1,118 1,064 
			 Hereford and Worcester 504 537 562 542 564 
			 Hertfordshire 413 465 495 546 554 
			 Humberside 364 490 506 518 487 
			 Isle of Wight 53 68 58 59 68 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Kent 926 940 1,037 1,026 1,184 
			 Lancashire 569 571 725 670 736 
			 Leicestershire 820 653 693 733 782 
			 Lincolnshire 419 466 485 499 483 
			 London 5,019 5,088 5,026 5,073 5,195 
			 Merseyside 637 719 737 111 844 
			 Norfolk 514 513 599 574 566 
			 North Yorkshire 429 458 521 538 520 
			 Northamptonshire 395 393 447 454 472 
			 Northumberland 174 185 220 213 367 
			 Nottinghamshire 595 577 759 683 758 
			 Oxfordshire 295 357 397 386 475 
			 Royal Berkshire 583 526 410 495 607 
			 Shropshire 249 263 297 290 298 
			 Somerset 414 430 419 424 503 
			 South Yorkshire 678 622 648 751 737 
			 Staffordshire 719 745 795 750 730 
			 Suffolk 247 337 374 364 397 
			 Surrey 567 640 821 757 858 
			 Tyne and Wear 508 447 511 432 456 
			 Warwickshire 308 266 353 452 440 
			 West Midlands 1,950 1,569 1,685 1,638 1,810 
			 West Sussex 554 604 672 674 671 
			 West Yorkshire 965 881 829 968 982 
			 Wiltshire 415 494 535 550 574 
			 Total 29,454 29,851 31,631 31,918 33,833 
		
	
	
		
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon 1,005 941 903 1,000 912 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 381 436 436 426 446 
			 Buckinghamshire 482 466 507 507 548 
			 Cambridgeshire 707 767 792 779 790 
			 Cheshire 701 691 741 736 779 
			 Cleveland 488 417 471 515 498 
			 Cornwall 487 453 510 506 552 
			 County Durham and Darlington 332 317 354 378 395 
			 Cumbria 306 382 421 381 360 
			 Derbyshire 559 619 661 685 660 
			 Devon 1,039 1,060 1,054 1,046 1,156 
			 Dorset 437 465 509 476 536 
			 East Sussex 566 593 664 732 713 
			 Essex 1,230 1,173 1,254 1,354 1,493 
			 Gloucestershire 444 509 545 579 613 
			 Greater Manchester 1,221 1,277 1,508 1,575 1,581 
			 Hampshire 1,151 1,203 1,461 1,347 1,330 
			 Hereford and Worcester 567 623 659 605 716 
			 Hertfordshire 543 595 582 554 601 
			 Humberside 463 583 664 664 644 
			 Isle of Wight 92 110 93 95 137 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 1,221 1,324 1,353 1,390 1,306 
			 Lancashire 756 763 862 880 924 
			 Leicestershire 800 802 880 810 853 
			 Lincolnshire 535 602 695 678 693 
			 London 5,403 5,792 5,683 5,439 5,349 
			 Merseyside 893 887 1,032 865 941 
			 Norfolk 509 544 626 580 597 
			 North Yorkshire 544 644 612 697 690 
			 Northamptonshire 467 454 484 586 571 
			 Northumberland 257 255 238 251 285 
			 Nottinghamshire 711 759 845 845 772 
			 Oxfordshire 467 487 558 465 464 
			 Royal Berkshire 548 614 623 630 662 
			 Shropshire 309 342 358 323 373 
			 Somerset 506 590 575 544 582 
			 South Yorkshire 802 854 921 1,027 1,128 
			 Staffordshire 729 787 874 946 962 
			 Suffolk 444 482 527 496 453 
			 Surrey 919 920 1,062 1,109 1,108 
			 Tyne and Wear 482 496 512 530 468 
			 Warwickshire 524 544 533 548 624 
			 West Midlands 2,013 2,252 2,423 2,429 2,282 
			 West Sussex 722 769 842 848 883 
			 West Yorkshire 886 1,076 1,088 1,069 1,024 
			 Wiltshire 624 631 729 625 657 
			 Total 35,272 37,350 39,721 39,550 40,111 
			 (1) The figures provided by the fire and rescue services excluded incidents during the period of industrial action. To account for the industrial action the figures presented have been factored up by 365/350. Figures are rounded and may not sum to the independently rounded total.  Source: Fire and rescue service returns to Department for Communities and Local Government. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Road traffic incidents attended by the fire and rescue service in England that involved the rescue of persons 1995-96 to 2004-05 
			   1995-6  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000 
			 Avon 169 184 165 149 149 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 81 97 98 95 108 
			 Buckinghamshire 99 146 132 165 166 
			 Cambridgeshire 175 174 197 162 187 
			 Cheshire 210 207 219 181 174 
			 Cleveland 48 65 87 77 92 
			 Cornwall 64 68 93 94 81 
			 County Durham and Darlington 105 106 118 93 79 
			 Cumbria 92 96 97 79 115 
			 Derbyshire 179 176 190 203 194 
			 Devon 137 149 146 163 167 
			 Dorset 110 77 114 110 118 
			 East Sussex 134 141 143 160 163 
			 Essex 324 336 322 259 269 
			 Gloucestershire 101 128 121 128 152 
			 Greater Manchester 286 280 272 309 341 
			 Hampshire 176 176 200 249 255 
			 Hereford and Worcester 113 150 155 218 193 
			 Hertfordshire 107 130 110 170 153 
			 Humberside 85 212 145 149 115 
			 Isle of Wight 15 14 16 17 15 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 202 205 303 559 273 
			 Lancashire 200 373 240 299 280 
			 Leicestershire 168 154 154 181 196 
			 Lincolnshire 149 206 189 231 203 
			 London 523 612 576 658 1,026 
			 Merseyside 143 115 148 128 156 
			 Norfolk 176 147 186 186 201 
			 North Yorkshire 146 172 161 171 153 
			 Northamptonshire 144 126 148 159 159 
			 Northumberland 46 62 69 62 73 
			 Nottinghamshire 222 236 276 211 215 
			 Oxfordshire 89 106 126 128 141 
			 Royal Berkshire 150 121 90 163 146 
			 Shropshire 86 82 92 84 74 
			 Somerset 119 114 100 108 125 
			 South Yorkshire 143 149 138 163 164 
			 Staffordshire 184 188 214 186 188 
			 Suffolk 92 123 104 109 139 
			 Surrey 102 129 194 186 208 
			 Tyne and Wear 149 107 127 123 118 
			 Warwickshire 94 121 121 120 122 
			 West Midlands 254 245 295 316 320 
			 West Sussex 174 196 159 165 94 
			 West Yorkshire 258 249 223 287 308 
			 Wiltshire 95 105 124 139 121 
			 Total 6,918 7,555 7,697 8,352 8,489 
		
	
	
		
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03( 1)  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon 255 246 262 330 348 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 128 130 119 103 115 
			 Buckinghamshire 155 144 137 168 201 
			 Cambridgeshire 207 206 225 94 236 
			 Cheshire 182 152 184 189 190 
			 Cleveland 93 68 63 73 78 
			 Cornwall 123 109 142 122 127 
			 County Durham and Darlington 110 109 112 117 106 
			 Cumbria 94 139 136 110 110 
			 Derbyshire 181 179 187 186 188 
			 Devon 192 190 205 218 218 
			 Dorset 125 121 53 117 138 
			 East Sussex 162 159 434 486 179 
			 Essex 294 332 291 328 520 
			 Gloucestershire 164 162 177 154 161 
			 Greater Manchester 388 721 339 316 313 
			 Hampshire 323 270 390 333 332 
			 Hereford and Worcester 195 185 204 191 247 
			 Hertfordshire 149 159 145 115 127 
			 Humberside 132 158 152 183 162 
			 Isle of Wight 22 23 22 21 31 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kent 269 284 281 270 276 
			 Lancashire 289 268 318 317 298 
			 Leicestershire 189 203 178 190 196 
			 Lincolnshire 207 246 260 248 225 
			 London 1,214 1,245 1,163 1,104 1,081 
			 Merseyside 136 122 133 133 138 
			 Norfolk 177 211 238 217 272 
			 North Yorkshire 167 208 165 162 158 
			 Northamptonshire 154 134 152 157 129 
			 Northumberland 56 66 63 59 77 
			 Nottinghamshire 235 238 256 225 210 
			 Oxfordshire 98 120 142 99 110 
			 Royal Berkshire 154 144 123 130 143 
			 Shropshire 78 98 99 83 86 
			 Somerset 128 148 105 138 132 
			 South Yorkshire 176 166 178 200 237 
			 Staffordshire 175 155 221 222 222 
			 Suffolk 166 144 186 176 179 
			 Surrey 217 213 237 230 235 
			 Tyne and Wear 112 118 106 112 99 
			 Warwickshire 129 170 143 262 201 
			 West Midlands 357 354 379 351 373 
			 West Sussex 90 129 159 150 176 
			 West Yorkshire 290 329 311 321 304 
			 Wiltshire 142 166 201 163 203 
			 Total 9,079 9,641 9,772 9,673 9,887 
			 (1) The figures provided by the fire and rescue services excluded incidents during the period of industrial action. To account for the industrial action the figures presented have been factored up by 365/350. Figures are rounded and may not sum to the independently rounded total.  Source:  Fire and rescue service returns to Department for Communities and Local Government

Fire and Rescue Service

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) chemical and  (b) fuel (i) spills and (ii) suspected spills the fire and rescue service in each fire authority area attended in each year since 1994.

Angela Smith: The information available is for spills and leaks other than at road traffic incidents, and covers the period 1995-96 to 2004-05. This includes stand-by or assisting at spillages by chemicals, fuel or other kind of chemical/hazardous spills. Information on attendances to suspected spills is not held centrally.
	
		
			  Number of spills and leaks incidents (other than road traffic incidents) attended by fire and rescue services 1995-96 to2004-05 
			   1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000 
			 Avon 523 484 506 551 499 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 74 61 49 66 84 
			 Buckinghamshire 174 153 186 170 158 
			 Cambridgeshire 296 298 305 264 302 
			 Cheshire 195 176 201 158 187 
			 Cleveland 265 250 279 226 300 
			 Cornwall 114 115 95 132 140 
			 County Durham and Darlington 130 98 116 98 115 
			 Cumbria 80 68 67 39 55 
			 Derbyshire 186 225 174 211 227 
			 Devon 409 352 377 379 336 
			 Dorset 244 183 191 178 212 
			 East Sussex 538 424 541 531 604 
			 Essex 459 477 539 587 526 
			 Gloucestershire 190 221 166 145 160 
			 Greater Manchester 307 330 372 311 404 
			 Hampshire 499 443 413 378 430 
			 Hereford and Worcester 151 116 195 273 236 
			 Hertfordshire 88 83 74 57 73 
			 Humberside 371 227 420 414 414 
			 Isle of Wight 75 58 41 47 40 
			 Isles of Scilly 1 1 0 0 1 
			 Kent 467 453 379 397 404 
			 Lancashire 446 437 505 510 412 
			 Leicestershire 49 304 248 214 321 
			 Lincolnshire 137 166 186 148 91 
			 London 1,515 2,305 1,840 1,964 581 
			 Merseyside 291 227 194 192 307 
			 Norfolk 261 185 269 216 185 
			 North Yorkshire 196 177 215 199 220 
			 Northamptonshire 199 184 155 163 180 
			 Northumberland 83 55 51 38 75 
			 Nottinghamshire 221 239 268 251 287 
			 Oxfordshire 130 142 200 143 207 
			 Royal Berkshire 188 197 17 135 188 
			 Shropshire 86 95 93 83 56 
			 Somerset 148 125 166 156 177 
			 South Yorkshire 452 319 322 299 329 
			 Staffordshire 293 230 266 283 137 
			 Suffolk 139 175 139 122 26 
			 Surrey 137 141 249 200 293 
			 Tyne and Wear 221 184 208 219 219 
			 Warwickshire 132 101 164 114 91 
			 West Midlands 628 961 976 926 1,034 
			 West Sussex 223 399 363 316: 424 
			 West Yorkshire 286 198 193 164 219 
			 Wiltshire 141 154 180 197 194 
			 Total 12,438 12,996 13,153 12,864 12,160 
		
	
	
		
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon 399 779 559 542 374 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 130 143 165 102 96 
			 Buckinghamshire 164 190 170 183 152 
			 Cambridgeshire 318 347 282 174 163 
			 Cheshire 186 215 179 155 132 
			 Cleveland 332 346 314 250 231 
			 Cornwall 129 126 126 140 132 
			 County Durham and Darlington 115 107 99 114 116 
			 Cumbria 63 49 74 50 34 
			 Derbyshire 263 251 252 194 177 
			 Devon 392 442 383 389 297 
			 Dorset 204 216 238 203 179 
			 East Sussex 501 458 404 347 256 
			 Essex 666 531 668 591 536 
			 Gloucestershire 213 234 194 219 149 
			 Greater Manchester 554 963 555 568 475 
			 Hampshire 491 432 386 324 240 
			 Hereford and Worcester 279 276 258 235 193 
			 Hertfordshire 47 60 41 36 55 
			 Humberside 465 515 374 309 227 
			 Isle of Wight 42 58 32 40 28 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 2 0 2 1 
			 Kent 420 461 466 416 335 
			 Lancashire 468 370 332 299 284 
			 Leicestershire 366 305 342 263 217 
			 Lincolnshire 68 71 126 155 144 
			 London 435 464 463 346 336 
			 Merseyside 248 201 128 197 126 
			 Norfolk 196 205 198 164 158 
			 North Yorkshire 266 251 256 233 240 
			 Northamptonshire 272 262 266 215 162 
			 Northumberland 75 74 57 58 39 
			 Nottinghamshire 406 445 406 302 269 
			 Oxfordshire 181 160 155 150 139 
			 Royal Berkshire 234 191 148 171 109 
			 Shropshire 94 86 62 66 59 
			 Somerset 175 210 194 190 140 
			 South Yorkshire 367 444 349 319 237 
			 Staffordshire 198 228 244 157 175 
			 Suffolk 128 172 153 142 120 
			 Surrey 265 293 253 240 225 
			 Tyne and Wear 181 167 162 162 150 
			 Warwickshire 171 161 134 151 139 
			 West Midlands 1,471 1,295 1,114 887 835 
			 West Sussex 367 348 295 271 216 
			 West Yorkshire 318 337 308 245 229 
			 Wiltshire 206 199 210 223 162 
			 Total 13,529 14,140 12,574 11,189 9,488 
			  Source: Fire and rescue service returns to Department for Communities and Local Government

Fire and Rescue Service

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many incidents attended by the fire and rescue service in each fire authority area in each year since 1994 required stand-by or precautionary measures to be implemented because of a potentially hazardous situation.

Angela Smith: The information available is for the period 1995-96 to 2004-05 and is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of standby or precautionary actions in potentially hazardous situations taken by rescue services 1995-96 to 2004-05 
			   1995-96  1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Avon 8 11 13 9 11 9 6 1 4 3 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 29 32 47 32 38 30 31 13 14 7 
			 Buckinghamshire 26 13 14 10 17 19 16 15 13 7 
			 Cambridgeshire 55 47 56 51 48 61 58 21 18 19 
			 Cheshire 17 31 22 12 24 15 12 9 5 4 
			 Cleveland 91 33 35 57 22 17 28 22 26 81 
			 Cornwall 115 123 134 83 145 67 68 51 45 56 
			 County Durham and Darlington 14 9 6 9 5 7 5 4 6 4 
			 Cumbria 31 23 27 21 11 25 20 22 25 10 
			 Derbyshire 12 4 8 3 2 3 3 9 4 7 
			 Devon 75 91 81 85 107 103 106 64 62 76 
			 Dorset 28 7 2 1 5 1 2 20 29 20 
			 East Sussex 5 7 6 4 7 13 6 11 4 0 
			 Essex 52 2 5 97 45 15 6 42 43 3 
			 Gloucestershire 16 25 21 20 34 28 26 27 48 23 
			 Greater Manchester 43 218 256 42 53 33 30 78 77 61 
			 Hampshire 46 60 49 47 58 43 39 29 14 22 
			 Hereford and Worcester 24 43 7 11 19 29 23 31 14 22 
			 Hertfordshire 7 7 4 6 0 4 74 55 42 42 
			 Humberside 128 71 75 75 101 91 100 100 112 128 
			 Isle of Wight 39 36 39 43 32 36 39 26 0 27 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 6 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Kent 32 76 65 44 58 46 29 22 36 25 
			 Lancashire 23 41 23 17 17 31 31 31 24 19 
			 Leicestershire 115 55 130 16 27 5 6 4 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire 14 12 3 2 10 14 9 3 7 21 
			 London 15 17 28 27 361 465 435 356 361 333 
			 Merseyside 39 49 56 137 3 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Norfolk 38 69 41 39 66 69 54 19 4 4 
			 North Yorkshire 57 57 42 36 31 42 60 39 46 34 
			 Northamptonshire 18 16 78 107 43 24 13 10 10 4 
			 Northumberland 5 8 7 8 3 10 6 2 0 4 
			 Nottinghamshire 8 18 21 11 19 18 8 9 10 8 
			 Oxfordshire 35 18 21 10 4 15 14 13 8 4 
			 Royal Berkshire 22 35 4 25 19 34 18 16 14 19 
			 Shropshire 15 16 10 5 6 6 4 3 6 2 
			 Somerset 7 10 11 4 1 10 14 3 10 13 
			 South Yorkshire 15 15 16 12 22 19 13 21 26 15 
			 Staffordshire 20 58 8 7 10 36 38 94 80 66 
			 Suffolk 31 39 31 34 12 46 70 46 31 23 
			 Surrey 78 83 18 16 9 11 14 3 3 5 
			 Tyne and Wear 172 59 46 39 53 41 39 36 37 38 
			 Warwickshire 4 3 14 11 5 13 14 12 13 25 
			 West Midlands 64 163 205 202 181 72 158 120 148 127 
			 West Sussex 229 234 125 144 126 92 83 94 62 39 
			 West Yorkshire 61 40 53 45 54 53 38 52 68 74 
			 Wiltshire 44 39 38 37 41 46 37 23 25 24 
			 Total 2,022 2,129 2,003 1,753 1,965 1,867 1,904 1,681 1,634 1,552 
			  Source:  Fire and rescue service returns to Department for Communities and Local Government.

Fire and Rescue Service

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many flooding incidents the fire and rescue service attended in each fire authority area in each year since 1994.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fire and Rescue Service

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many incidents on or near water were attended by the fire service in each year since 1994; and how many people were rescued by the fire service on or near water in each year.

Angela Smith: Information held centrally covers primary fires attended by fire and rescue services. These figures are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary fires on or near water attended by fire and rescue services, England1994 to 2005 
			   Number of fires on or near water  Number of persons rescued 
			 1994 255 11 
			 1995 333 37 
			 1996 301 15 
			 1997 315 36 
			 1998 334 20 
			 1999 356 30 
			 2000 335 75 
			 2001 381 11 
			 2002 252 8 
			 2003 303 10 
			 2004 310 12 
			 2005(1) 281 21 
			 (1) Provisional  Notes: 1. Excludes fires during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003. 2. Figures for 1994-2004 are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue service totals.  Source: Fire and rescue service returns to the Department for Communities and Local Government

Fire Regulations

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to bring forward amendments to the Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) Regulations 1989.

Angela Smith: It is our intention to replace the existing, highly prescriptive, Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) Regulations 1989 with the risk-based regime brought into force by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. However before doing so we will have to be fully satisfied that necessary protections will be maintained or enhanced by the change. Decisions about replacement of the 1989 regulations will therefore be taken in the light of  (a) evidence gathered during a period of parallel running of the regulations and the regime applied by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005; and  (b) discussion and consultation with stakeholders through a small working group.

Fire Regulations

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many special service incidents involving the rescue or release of people from industrial or other machinery were attended by the fire service in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Fire Regulations

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many special service incidents, including those not specified, were attended by the fire service in each year since 1994.

Angela Smith: The number of special service incidents attended by the fire and rescue service in England is as follows.
	
		
			  Special service incidents attended by the fire and rescue service in England 1994-95 to 2004-05 
			   Number 
			 1994-95 162,054 
			 1995-96 168,086 
			 1996-97 161,320 
			 1997-98 155,412 
			 1998-99 148,787 
			 1999-2000 155,356 
			 2000-01 174,481 
			 2001-02 165,103 
			 2002-03 170,298 
			 2003-04 158,383 
			 2004-05 158,419 
			  Note: 2002-03 figure includes estimates for incidents attended, but not recorded during strike periods.  Source: Fire and rescue service returns to Communities and Local Government

Framework Convention on National Minorities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what progress her Department has made on the implementation of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities;
	(2)  when she expects to complete the UK's Framework Convention on National Minorities Compliance Report to the Council of Europe; and when she expects to be able to circulate it to UK-based stakeholders;
	(3)  when the Government are required to produce their Framework Convention on National Minorities Compliance Report.

Phil Woolas: The Government's Second Report to the Council of Europe under the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities will set out the important progress the UK has made towards honouring this commitment. The draft report has been completed and we have circulated it for information and comment. I will ensure that the hon. Member also receives a copy. I intend to submit the final report to the Council of Europe in January.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what amount has been spent by her Department and its associated public bodies to achieve Gershon efficiency savings; whether these costs are included in the calculation of the headline efficiency savings; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Sir Peter Gershon's independent report into public sector efficiency did not require that efficiencies be recorded net of up-front investment costs. Communities and Local Government has followed this advice.

Gershon Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what efficiency savings have been made in her Department and its associated public bodies as a result of the Gershon initiative; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government will be reporting verified efficiency savings to date within the Department's Autumn Performance Report.

Health Services: Thames Gateway

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role primary care trusts (PCTs) played in the creation of the development strategy for the Thames Gateway; and which officials from PCTs attended meetings during the formulation of the strategy.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 4 December 2006
	The Thames Gateway Interim Plan, published last month, was the product of a collaboration between my Department and the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership (TGSP), on which local delivery vehicles (LDVs) sit. LDVs are charged with representing local views, including those of PCTs. In addition, the boards of the LDVs often include members of the LSP or local PCT, as in Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation and Bexley Regeneration Partnership, Invest Bexley.
	The TGSP also notes that Communities and Local Government funded a project undertaken for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham by the NHS Healthy Urban Development Unit to develop a way of modelling the impact of population growth on the need for services. PCT colleagues from the Barking and Dagenham PCT and the Director of Regeneration for the North-East London Strategic Health Authority managed the project and met members of my Department on several occasions to discuss progress and how the findings of the project could best be used. The model that has been developed could be used by other authorities across the Gateway to help them plan healthcare and other services.

Home Condition Reports

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of voluntary home condition reports that will be purchased in each year from June 2007;
	(2)  in which location the trials of energy performance certificates are taking place in November;
	(3)  what her Department's expected expenditure is on the November 2006 trials of energy performance certificates;
	(4)  how many areas where home information packs area trials are taking place have  (a) Conservative-controlled local authorities and  (b) Conservative Members of Parliament;
	(5)  if she will take steps to ensure that the home information dry run is audited by an organisation independent of the Government and the home information pack industry;
	(6)  which organisations will audit the dry run of home information packs;
	(7)  whether  (a) energy condition reports outside a home condition report and  (b) voluntary home condition reports are being piloted in the home information pack dry run;
	(8)  how many  (a) reduced cost and  (b) free packs are being provided as part of the home information pack dry run;
	(9)  what  (a) incentives and  (b) payments are being provided (i) directly and (ii) indirectly to home inspectors participating in the home information pack dry run;
	(10)  whether the Association of Home Information Pack Providers will receive any payment for participating in the pack dry run.

Yvette Cooper: Area trials of home information packs are taking place in Bath, Cambridge, Southampton, Northampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield. Four of the six trial location areas include Conservative Members of Parliament. All trial locations contain at least one Conservative-controlled local authority.
	Sellers can choose whether to have an energy performance certificate or a home condition report included in the free and reduced-cost home information packs available on a voluntary basis in these trial areas.
	The Department has pledged up to 4 million to support these trials. No money is being paid directly to the Association of Home Information Pack Providers or to home inspectors. Payment for the free and reduced-cost packs available in the trial areas will be made direct to the organisation compiling the pack. That organisation is responsible for paying its suppliers.
	The trials will include free, reduced-cost and full-cost packs in order to test different aspects of the HIPs process. No decision has been taken on how many free and reduced-cost packs will be provided in the trial areas. This will be decided in light of the progress of trials, so as to enable us to obtain the fullest possible picture of the impact of the packs.
	We will monitor the voluntary use of home condition reports during the trials to identify ways in which their take-up can be maximised once home information packs become mandatory on 1 June 2007. We have not made an estimate of the number of home condition reports that will be commissioned after June.
	These trials will be independently verified. We are currently in the late stages of letting a contract to an independent research organisation and an announcement will be made shortly on the successful contractor.

Home Condition Reports

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has to provide incentives for those trainee home inspectors who have yet to qualify.

Yvette Cooper: The Department has no plans to provide incentives for trainee home inspectors who have yet to qualify.

Home Condition Reports

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will assess the merits of a single survey approach to buying and selling homes.

Yvette Cooper: A single survey for each housing sale that meets the needs of buyers and lenders would reduce the overall costs for consumers and help make the process more certain. The home condition report is designed to be such a document. Under our proposals for home information packs, sellers will be authorised to provide a home condition report that buyers, sellers and mortgage lenders can rely on. Home condition reports could provide very significant benefits to consumers and we are working with stakeholders to encourage their widespread take-up.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been  (a) borrowed,  (b) held in reserve,  (c) accumulated in earned and unearned surpluses and  (d) spent on new house building by housing associations in each of the last 10 years; and whether such (i) borrowing and (ii) expenditure by housing associations is counted as in the (A) public and (B) private sector.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows for registered social landlords (RSLs) for each year from 1998-99 to 2004-05 how much has been borrowed, held in reserve and surpluses after tax.
	RSLs are independent, not-for-profit organisations and surpluses they generate are reinvested in housing stock or provision of affordable housing.
	
		
			   million 
			   Total debt  Surplus after tax  Reserves 
			 1998-99 13,640 332 7,967 
			 1999-2000 15,428 260 8,873 
			 2000-01 18,417 125 9,226 
			 2001-02 20,678 239 10,053 
			 2002-03 22,068 240 9,858 
			 2003-04 24,572 245 10,815 
			 2004-05 26,907 434 11,830 
			  Source:  Housing Corporation Global Accounts. 
		
	
	Prior to 1998-99 the information requested was not collected in the same format. Information on funds spent by RSLs on new house building is not held centrally; however, grant spent on new provision of affordable housing by RSLs for the same years is in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			 1998-99 876.7 
			 1999-2000 916.3 
			 2000-01 1,054.3 
			 2001-02 1,127.1 
			 2002-03 1,360.1 
			 2003-04 1,790.9 
			 2004-05 1,548.4 
			 2005-06 1,596.4 
		
	
	Both borrowing and expenditure by RSLs is counted as private sector.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her estimate of 12 billion for bringing all council housing up to decent homes standard is based on  (a) the Government's decent homes standard and  (b) the decent homes plus standard offered by housing associations.

Yvette Cooper: The 12 billion figure is an estimate of the funding the Government would need to give to local authorities and arm's length management organisations to enable a similar level of spending on home improvements and other works that registered social landlords spend on transferred housing stock.
	The figure represents an estimation of the extra cost matching resources of stock transfer housing associations.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the increased revenue to local authority housing revenue accounts from rent increases in each year from 2005 to 2010;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of expenditure on the national housing revenue account for each year until 2030, broken down by main budget heading.

Yvette Cooper: No such estimates have been made.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Government Department has assumed responsibility for the local authority housing debt incurred following cases of  (a) local authority housing transfer and  (b) creation of arm's length management organisations in each year since 1996.

Yvette Cooper: No Government Department assumes responsibility for local authority housing debt following the creation of an arm's length management organisation (ALMO). The local authority is the borrower and has responsibility for servicing its housing debt. The creation of an ALMO may affect the value, but not the ownership, of a local authority's housing debt. The local authority is the borrower.
	Upon transfer, a local authority may use the capital receipt generated by the transfer to extinguish its housing debt. In cases of overhanging debt, where the transfer is not sufficient to pay off the housing debt, a payment to the Public Works Loan Board to clear the debt will be made from an Annually Managed Expenditure Budget held by Communities and Local Government.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total of the housing revenue account  (a) has been in each year since 1990 and  (b) is estimated to be in each year until 2030, based on the assumptions of (i) future revenue and (ii) interest rates used in her Department's opting out pilot study of six local authorities.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities hold their own housing revenue accounts and the Department does not collect details of the total of these accounts. Therefore we have no information as to the totals for previous years and we are unable to estimate what these might be in the years up to 2030. The six pilot authorities which are working with the Department to assess the circumstances in which it may be feasible to opt out of the housing revenue account subsidy system are still assessing the impact of opting out upon their own housing revenue position.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have negotiated overage as part of a stock transfer agreement where a registered social landlord took over the housing concerned.

Yvette Cooper: The Department does not hold this information centrally and it can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which were the 10 best performing arm's length management organisations in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and what the surplus of each was over that period.

Yvette Cooper: Arm's length management organisations' (ALMOs) performance is normally judged by the ratings they are awarded following inspection by the Housing Inspectorate. These inspections take place approximately every three years. There are currently 12 ALMOs to which the inspectorate has awarded the top 3* (excellent) rating: Ashfield Homes, Bolton at Home, Brent Housing Partnership, Carrick Housing, CityWest Homes (Westminster), Derby Homes, Hounslow Homes, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing, Poole Housing Partnership, Sheffield Homes and Stockport Homes.
	We do not routinely collect information about surpluses held by ALMOs, which are determined primarily by the timing of payments between ALMOs and their local authorities.
	There are no ALMOs in Wales.

Housing

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her latest estimate is of the number of new  (a) private sector and  (b) affordable homes needed in England to meet housing demand.

Yvette Cooper: The Government set out in their response to the Barker Review of Housing Supply an ambition to increase the overall rate of housing supply in England to 200,000 per annum by 2016.
	Future housing requirements, including the level of affordable housing, are assessed by regions and local authorities as part of the development of regional spatial strategies and local development frameworks.

Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many registered social landlord houses were sold to people or organisations other than tenants in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: Registered social landlords (RSLs) sell a range of properties including those they have newly built for specialist management (eg to universities) or for outright sales as part of mixed communities. An extensive sample analysis of consents given in 2004-05 and 2005-06 indicates that, of the sales on the open market, 20.6 per cent. were homes which had previously been let as social rented homes. The equivalent proportion for 2005-06 (to January 2006) was 10.5 per cent. The bulk of the remaining disposals were of student or key worker accommodation to specialist management organisations or properties built by RSLs for outright sale. On the basis of this sample, disposals of social rented homes would represent 0.003 per cent. and 0.016 per cent. of total RSL stock for each year respectively.
	
		
			   Number of dwellings sold by RSLs on the open market  Sale to RSL (group and non-group) 
			 2001-02 1,285 1,259 
			 2002-03 1,133 3,370 
			 2003-04 1,877 2,854 
			 2004-05 3,157 4,929 
			 2005-06 3,081 3,355 
			  Notes: 1. Data exclude Abbeyfields and almshouses 2. Data on sales to local authorities are not collected. 3. Only RSLs completing the long form RSR provided information in 2005-06.  Source: Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR), Housing Corporation.

Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of  (a) homeless applicants and  (b) households accepted as homeless in (i) each English region and (ii) each London local authority were from black and minority ethnic communities in 2005.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected by the Department. Authorities provide data on the number of applications for homelessness assistance (including those by ineligible households), and the number of households who are accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty. These figures are broken down by the ethnicity of the applicant.
	Tables showing  (a) the proportion of Black and minority ethnic applicants who applied for homelessness assistance and  (b) the proportion that were accepted, in 2005, by region and London local authority, along with the proportion of White applicant households and those where ethnicity was not stated, have been placed in the Library of the House.
	In September 2005 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published research into The causes of homelessness in ethnic minority communities together with Tackling Homelessness Amongst Ethnic Minority HouseholdsA Development Guide. The Guide aims to assist local authorities and their partner agencies in the development of inclusive, evidence-based and cost-effective homelessness services for their local ethnic minority populations. To support uptake of the Development Guide the Office also launched a 3 million Ethnic Minorities Innovation Fund (EMIF).
	In June 2006 the Department announced details of successful bids for projects to be funded from EMIF, nearly a quarter of which is allocated to programmes in London working with a range of client groups. The Fund is providing grants to projects across the country over the two years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Housing

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her latest estimate is of the number of  (a) private sector and  (b) affordable homes needed in the Chelmsford local authority area to meet housing demand; and how she calculates housing demand.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 14 December 2006
	Future housing requirements including the level of affordable housing are assessed by regions and local authorities as part of the development of Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks. These assessments are expected to take account of factors including the Government's latest projections of household growth.

Housing

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to allocate funding to residents' associations for the purpose of forming property companies to purchase properties in order to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Yvette Cooper: The provisions in the Housing Act 2004 allow local authorities to use management orders to take over the management of private rented sector properties where antisocial behaviour occurs. We have no plans to provide for residents to purchase properties in these circumstances.

Housing

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many vacant dwellings there are in Sandwell.

Yvette Cooper: At October 2005 Sandwell district council reported 5,129 vacant dwellings.
	 Source:
	Council Tax Base (CTB1) returns

Housing

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeless families there were in  (a) Somerset and  (b) England in each month of each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected in respect of households, at local authority level and on a quarterly basis.
	The number of households accepted by local authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty by the local authority, for both England and Somerset since 2001 is in the following table. Also shown is the number of households accepted because they were in priority need through containing dependent children and/or a pregnant woman.
	
		
			  Households accepted( 1)  as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need 
			   Somerset( 2)  England 
			   Total number of households accepted  of which priority need: dependent children or pregnant woman  Total number of households accepted  of which priority need: dependent children or pregnant woman 
			  2001 
			 Q1 291 193 30,450 20,190 
			 Q2 297 189 28,950 19,840 
			 Q3 299 198 30,590 20,540 
			 Q4 281 180 27,840 18,220 
			  2002 
			 Q1 (3) (3) 29,280 18,960 
			 Q2 297 179 30,460 20,130 
			 Q3 (3) (3) 33,310 21,090 
			 Q4 328 204 30,790 18,720 
			  2003 
			 Q1 293 170 33,980 20,480 
			 Q2 286 157 34,090 21,190 
			 Q3 228 136 35,770 22,020 
			 Q4 226 140 31,750 19,100 
			  2004 
			 Q1 293 164 33,820 21,020 
			 Q2 296 184 32,900 20,480 
			 Q3 265 152 32,150 20,110 
			 Q4 218 108 28,890 17,560 
			  2005 
			 Q1 294 171 26,920 17,020 
			 Q2 (3) (3) 27,310 17,560 
			 Q3 184 117 24,800 16,130 
			 Q4 120 71 21,140 13,750 
			  2006 
			 Q1 108 65 20,730 13,810 
			 Q2 75 46 19,430 12,950 
			 Q3 104 78 19,390 12,810 
			 (1) Households eligible under homelessness legislation, found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty.  (2) Somerset includes the following LAs: Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane and West Somerset.  (3) Data not reported during quarter.   Source: DCLG P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly). 
		
	
	The duty owed to a person accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	The second table shows the total number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of each quarter since 2001, and, since 2002, those that include dependent children or a pregnant woman, for both England and Somerset. In January 2005 the Government announced in Homes for All its commitment to halve the number of all households in temporary accommodation by 2010.
	
		
			  Households in temporary accommodation( 1)  arranged by local authorities 
			   Somerset( 2)  England 
			   Total number of households in TA (end quarter snapshot)  of which families with dependent children and/or pregnant woman  Total number of households in TA (end quarter snapshot)  of which families with dependent children and/or pregnant woman 
			  2001 
			 Q1 354  75,200  
			 Q2 349  75,920  
			 Q3 411  77,800  
			 Q4 413  77,510  
			  2002 
			 Q1 (3) (3) 80,200 54,660 
			 Q2 404 (3) 81,660 58,870 
			 Q3 (3) (3) 85,010 61,740 
			 Q4 375 (3) 85,140 60,310 
			  2003 
			 Q1 573 (3) 89,040 61,510 
			 Q2 607 (3) 91,870 65,040 
			 Q3 387 228 94,440 67,260 
			 Q4 324 203 94,610 67,540 
			  2004 
			 Q1 320 198 97,680 70,580 
			 Q2 319 207 99,530 71,640 
			 Q3 356 220 101,300 72,510 
			 Q4 365 223 101,030 72,800 
			  2005 
			 Q1 499 356 101,070 72,670 
			 Q2 (3) (3) 100,970 72,810 
			 Q3 521 351 101,020 74,180 
			 Q4 453 316 98,730 72,920 
			  2006 
			 Q1 422 303 96,370 71,560 
			 Q2 377 271 93,910 69,790 
			 Q3 378 262 93,090 69,500 
			 (1) Households in accommodation arranged by local authorities pending enquiries or awaiting allocation of a settled home following acceptance of a main duty.  (2) Somerset includes the following LAs: Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane and West Somerset.  (3) Data not reported during quarter.   Source:  DCLG P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly). 
		
	
	Information is also collected by the Department on the number of people who sleep roughthat is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. These are recorded on a calendar year basis, and figures for 2001 up to the latest available figures, for 2006, are presented by local authority on the Communities website, at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/705//NationalRoughSleepingEstimate2006_idl502705.xls

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assumptions on  (a) rents and  (b) (i) management, (ii) maintenance and (iii) major repairs allowance and  (c) interest rates on housing debts were used in her pilot study on opting out of the national housing revenue account.

Yvette Cooper: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today (UIN 107184).

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what expenditure was on the national housing revenue account in each year since 1990, broken down by main budget heading.

Yvette Cooper: We do not collect details of actual expenditure on the national housing revenue account under the main budget headings.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she expects the pilot scheme for local authorities to opt out of the national housing revenue account to be self- financing.

Yvette Cooper: The impact on the public finances of permitting individual local authorities to operate outside the housing revenue account subsidy system is one of the issues that the Government are considering as part of the current pilot scheme.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what Government expenditure was on  (a) council housing,  (b) registered social landlords  (c) arm's length management organisations and  (d) home ownership schemes in each year since 1996.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested in provided in the table. The figures for 2005-06 have not been audited. Government expenditure on council housing will also include money given to ALMOs under the Decent Homes programme. Figures for Housing Corporation funding via registered social landlords (RSLs) is for new homes and excludes works to RSL housing stock. The Housing Corporation figures for low-cost home ownership include funding for Affordable Housing Programme, Local Authority Social Housing Grant and Starter Home Initiative. The English Partnership figures include acquisition costs.
	
		
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01 
			 Supported Capital Expenditure 2,264,684,642 2,195,992,704 2,175,181,668 2,032,348,393 1,944,620,377 
			 Other HRA Subsidy Allowances 3,468,580,373 3,417,333,253 3,259,255,389 3,175,271,907 3,096,738,840 
			 ALMO allowances 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Gross HRA Subsidy 5,733,265,015 5,613,325,957 5,434,437,057 5,207,620,300 5,041,359,217 
			 ALMO capital allowances 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total capital and revenue expenditure on council housing 5,733,265,015 5,613,325,957 5,434,437,057 5,207,620,300 5,041,359,217 
			 Gap Funded Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Housing Corporation funding to RSLs to build or acquire new social housing 706,600,000 781,700,000 751,600,000 822,700,000 936,900,000 
			 Registered Social Landlords total 706,600,000 781,700,000 751,600,000 822,700,000 936,900,000 
			 Housing Corporation funding to RSLs for low-cost home ownership schemes 216,000,000 172,500,000 125,100,000 93,700,000 117,400,000 
			 English Partnerships funding for First Time Buyers and London Wide Initiatives 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total funding to low-cost home ownership schemes 216,000,000 172,500,000 125,100,000 93,700,000 117,400,000 
		
	
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Supported Capital Expenditure 1,831,898,885 1,680,483,994 1,524,742,563 1,204,462,129 1,175,993,702 
			 Other HRA Subsidy Allowances 4,578,382,595 4,531,725,226 4,467,285,633 4,580,123,061 4,653,543,837 
			 ALMO allowances 0 10,495,034 50,734,594 87,190,425 121,525,840 
			 Gross HRA Subsidy 6,410.781.480 6.222.704,254 6,042,762,790 5,871,775,615 5,951.063,379 
			 ALMO capital allowances 0 55,924,286 321,126,161 576,803,882 854,163,476 
			 Total capital and revenue expenditure on council housing 6,410,781,480 6,278,628,540 6,363,888,951 6,448,579,497 6,805,226,855 
			 Gap Funded Transfer Payments 0 0 0 7,650,000 3,882,707 
			 Housing Corporation funding to RSLs to build or acquire new social housing 1,008,700,000 1,198,200,000 1,444,600,000 1,085,200,000 1,015,000,000 
			 Registered Social Landlords total 1,008,700,000 1,198,200,000 1,444,600,000 1,092,850,000 1,018,882,707 
			 Housing Corporation funding to RSLs for low-cost home ownership schemes 120,570,000 228,850,000 518,580,000 470,510,000 581,400,000 
			 English Partnerships funding for First Time Buyers and London Wide Initiatives 0 0 57,000,000 108,000,000 0 
			 Total funding to low-cost home ownership schemes 120,570,000 228,850,000 575,580,000 578,510,000 581,400,000

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities do not have a strategy for meeting the Decent Homes target.

Yvette Cooper: Of the 196 local authorities who needed to complete an options appraisal to put a Decent Homes delivery plan in place, all bar Camden have done so. Since completing their options appraisals a small number of authorities have revisited their strategies for delivering decent homes and we are aware that some are still doing some further work.

Infrastructure

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will visit Wellingborough to discuss the provision of infrastructure for the development that is taking place in the area.

Yvette Cooper: Wellingborough plays an important part in the growth proposals for north Northamptonshire. There have already been a number of ministerial visits to north Northamptonshire in the past and I hope there will be opportunities for further ministerial visits from my Department next year. Communities and Local Government Ministers are more than happy to discuss housing development and infrastructure provision in Wellingborough when we next visit north Northamptonshire.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many information technology projects within the responsibility of her Department, its agencies and their predecessors have been cancelled since 1997; what the total cost was of each project at cancellation; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Since May 2002 one project, Housing and Employment Mobility Services Agreement, has been closed before completion; total cost at closure was 1.06 million.
	It is not possible to provide the information requested for the period predating the creation of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in May 2002 without incurring disproportionate cost.

Local Government: Staff

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff  (a) in total,  (b) on pro-rata salaries of less than 20,000 and  (c) on pro-rata salaries of 20,000 or more were employed by City of York Council (i) in April 2003 and (ii) at the same date in each subsequent year.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Local Government: Staff

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what factors she took into account when deciding to implement a 2.7 per cent. increase in the East Devon district council revenue support grant.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 14 December 2006
	Formula grant is based on the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the authority, together with the number of band-D equivalent properties in an authority's area. We then ensure that every local authority receives at least a minimum percentage increase (the 'floor') year-on-year on a like-for-like basis i.e. after adjusting for changes in funding and function.
	A full description of the calculation can be found in the draft Local Government Finance Report (England) 2007-08 which was placed in the Library of the House on 28 November 2006.
	When deciding the level of the floor, we took account of the average increase in formula grant for the group, together with the rate of inflation for the period covered by the report as measured by the GDP deflator.
	East Devon benefits from the floor in 2007-08 by 100,950.

Local Government Finance

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the Local Government Finance Settlement 2007-08.

Phil Woolas: The consultation on the Government's proposals for the 2007-08 settlement was launched on 28 November 2006. The closing date for responses to the consultation is 5 January 2007.
	As of 13 December, Communities and Local Government have received 16 representations from local authorities and Members of Parliament on the 2007-08 settlement proposals.

Local Government Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many gap funding applications for stock transfer were made by each local authority in the current transfer round; and for how much in each case.

Yvette Cooper: 22 applications for places on the 2006 Housing Transfer Programme were received from 14 local authorities in respect of housing stock which has a negative valuation.
	Any gap funding arrangements the Department might make with a registered social landlord (RSL) in respect of these schemes would be made in the period after a ballot in favour of transfer takes place, but before housing transfers to the RSL. Other funding sources have first to be explored before there is a call on the Department's resources.

Local Government Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities are in receipt of financial support for  (a) arm's length management organisations,  (b) gap funding and (c) private finance initiative housing schemes; how much support each received in each year since 1996; and how many homes each owned in each year.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities with ALMOs that have achieved a rating of two stars or better from the Audit Commission receive funding in the form of supported borrowing, the agreed total of which is taken into account in the calculation of the Housing Revenue Account subsidy. Table 1 gives the annual supported borrowing for each LA with respect of its ALMO. The number of homes is those recorded at the point management responsibility transferred to the ALMO.
	The PFI subsidy payments are used by the LAs along with other resources to meet the Unitary Charge that is charged annually by the PFI contractor. PFI subsidy payments are calculated from the level of PFI credits that have been awarded for the scheme. The annual subsidy payments are set out in table 2. The number of homes for the Housing Revenue Account schemes is the reduction in the number of non-decent homes once the construction and refurbishment phase of the contract is complete. The number of homes for the General Fund schemes is the number of additional social rented homes that will be constructed under the contract.
	Local authorities do not receive any payments for gap funded transfers. Payments are made to RSLs.
	
		
			  Table 1: LA level of annual supported borrowing for ALMOs 
			  Authority  Number of homes  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Round 1 ALMOs  
			 Ashfield 8,288 6,000,000 20,000,000 20,000,000 9,320,000 
			 Derby 15,424 8,435,000 28,700,000 41,115,000 18,926,000 
			 Hounslow 14,801 10,000,000 25,000,000 35,000,000 29,650,000 
			 Kirklees 28,269 351,274 40,000,000 50,000,000 50,000,000 
			 Rochdale 16,831 6,080,000 28,120,000 48,000,000 24,100,000 
			 Stockton 14,060 5,601,012 38,900,000 18,498,988 0 
			 Westminster 14,000 1,457,000 18,843,000 27,593,000 26,107,000 
			 Wigan 26,446 18,000,000 40,300,000 39,500,000 39,500,000 
			   
			  Round 2 ALMOs  
			 Barnsley 23,648  7,000,000 41,200,000 66,020,283 
			 Blyth Valley 7,756  3,240,000 12,938,105 15,250,895 
			 Bolton 21,500  20,000,000 33,000,000 39,762,000 
			 Brent 9,303  11,250,000 25,400,000 31,347,000 
			 Carrick 3,872  2,010,000 5,250,000 7,737,003 
			 Cheltenham 5,027  1,371,000 8,629,000 12,500,000 
			 Colchester 7,060   13,500,000 11,105,000 
			 Hillingdon 13,904  2,400,000 14,200,000 15,659,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 7,220  6,900,000 14,712,000 12,032,000 
			 LeedsEast 12,661   6,496,800 22,454,323 
			 LeedsNorth East 6,851  4,100,000 6,419,000 10,944,000 
			 LeedsNorth West 12,178   8,117,000 16,000,000 
			 LeedsSouth East 8,727   8,359,000 13,570,000 
			 LeedsSouth 16,265   12,927,000 29,079,000 
			 LeedsWest 13,206  4,747,000 13,511,000 22,462,800 
			 Oldham 18,550  18,245,161 17,754,839 25,200,000 
			   
			  Round 3  
			 Barnet 11,452   4,005,000 15,094,200 
			 Gateshead 24,663   0 13,000,000 
			 High Peak 4,389   0 4,700,000 
			 Islington 30,231   2,870,000 22,030,000 
			 Newcastle 32,092   16,000,000 68,000,000 
			 Poole 4,726   1,098,150 7,702,972 
			 Sheffield 51,142   25,200,000 71,161,000 
			 Solihull 11,541   1,200,000 19,400,000 
			 South Lakeland 3,421   0 3,075,000 
			 Warrington 9,935   4,310,000 13,968,000 
			   
			  Round 4 ALMOs  
			 Bury 8,9362,120,000 
			 Ealing 14,67920,448,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 13,77821,938,000 
			 Newark and Sherwood 5,3346,500,000 
			 Rotherham 25,1287,500,000 
			 Sandwell 35,0798,800,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Housing PFI subsidy payments 
			   
			  Housing revenue account payments  Number of homes  PFI credits  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 LB Camden (Chalcots)(1) 601 65,000,000
			 LB Islington (Street Properties 1) 1,900 74,690,000 6,140,376 6,140,376 6,140,376 
			 LB Islington (Street Properties 2)(1) 2,954 165,000,000
			 Leeds City Council (Swarcliffe) 1,933 78,800,000  501,122 6,096,988 
			 Manchester CC (A6 Plymouth Gr) 1,091 36,640,000 3,012,098 3,012,098 3,012,098 
			 Manchester CC (Heating)  2,817,312  301,853 301,853 301,853 301,853 301,853 301,853 
			 LB Newham (Canning Town) 1,020 31,890,000   1,965,720 
			 Oldham MBC (Sheltered)(1) 1,639 132,000,000
			 Reading BC (N Whitely) 1,370 49,600,000  3,997,107 3,997,107 
			 Sandwell 1,041 71,000,000   469,595 
			   
			  General fund payments  
			 Derby City 150 2,800,000   236,000 236,000 236,000 236,000 236,000 
			 LB Hammersmith and Fulham 32 4,700,000   378,756 
			 North East Derbyshire DC 51 360,000 33,000 33,000 33,000 33,000 33,000 33,000 33,000 
			 Selby DC 250 6,700,000   539,929 
			 Warrington 143 4,300,000   69,513 
			 (1) Schemes signed in 2006-07. First payments will be for 2006-07 but have not yet been agreed with authorities.

Local Government Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what rents were charged by each local authority in each year since 1996; and what notional rents were assumed in each year;
	(2)  what the  (a) actual rents charged and  (b) national rents assumed on council housing were in each local authority in each year since 1996.

Yvette Cooper: Average actual weekly local authority rents in England are published, by local authority, in table 702. The table may be found via the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/266/Table702Excel121Kb_id1156266.xls
	Papers showing the notional guideline rents for each authority in those years have been placed in the House Library.

Local Government Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assumptions on  (a) rent allowances for management and maintenance and major repairs and  (b) interest rates in later years were used in the pilot study examining six local authorities for the National Housing Revenue Account.

Yvette Cooper: The six local authorities participating in the self-financing pilot scheme are currently preparing business plans on the basis of the following 'base-case' working assumptions.
	Rents change in line with rent restructuring policy such that, by 2011-12, individual property rents approaches their formula rents. This is subject to constraints such as caps on individual property formula rents and limits on the annual change in individual actual rents. After 2011-12 we assume that rents will increase by 0.5 per cent. above inflation, using the Treasury's forecast GDP deflator as the measure of inflation (currently 2.7 per cent.).
	Management and Maintenance Allowances (MMA) are uprated by the GDP measure of inflation, then increased by a re-basing adjustment to ensure that changes to notional rent are resource-neutral. After 2011-12, we assume that MMA increases in line with the GDP measure of inflation.
	Major Repairs Allowance (MRA) increases in line with the GDP measure of inflation.
	The interest rate on housing debt is at the authority's current Consolidated Interest Rate (CRI) which is the average interest payable on all their outstanding borrowing for the year in question.
	These assumptions will be reviewed towards the end of the pilot exercise. National interest rates are not used in the business plans.

Local Government Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total local authority council housing debt was in each year since 1990; what interest was paid on the debt; and what allowance was made for debt service charges in the housing revenue account subsidy system.

Phil Woolas: Total actual local authority housing debt since 1990 and the allowance we make for debt service charges in the Housing Revenue Account subsidy system is as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			  England  Council house debt  HRA subsidy for debt charges 
			 1990-91 20,381 2,543 
			 1991-92 20,060 2,418 
			 1992-93 20,039 2,366 
			 1993-94 20,387 2,312 
			 1994-95 20,818 2,316 
			 1995-96 20,648 2,261 
			 1996-97 20,212 2,227 
			 1997-98 19,708 2,205 
			 1998-99 19,030 2,137 
			 1999-2000 18,487 2,012 
			 2000-01 17,607 1,924 
			 2001-02 17,592 1,811 
			 2002-03 16,413 1,669 
			 2003-04 14,377 1,532 
			 2004-05 12,704 1,206 
		
	
	The actual figures on housing debt are not the same as the notional debt figures which we used to calculate the debt service charges.
	Communities and Local Government does not have data on the actual interest local authorities paid on their housing debt.
	2004-05 is the latest year for which audited data is available.

Local Government Pension Scheme

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will defer publishing draft regulations relating to the Local Government Pension Scheme until the negotiations between the Local Government Association and the trade unions have been concluded; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The statutory consultation exercise on the Government's proposed reforms of the Local Government Pension Scheme began on 23 November. Within the timetable available, all consultees are able to consider the terms on offer. Draft regulations to illustrate how the reforms will operate are to be circulated shortly, as promised in my written statement of 23 November. The publication of these draft regulations does not in any way affect the ability of stakeholders to discuss ways forward. No final decisions can or will be made until the consultation exercise is completed and responses to it have been given proper consideration.

Muslim Groups

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the  (a) remit and  (b) membership is of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB); how many times the MINAB has met; and what recommendations have been made by the MINAB;
	(2)  whether her Department's plan of fit for purpose leadership and management development programme for imams and other faith community leaders has been completed; when the plan is expected to be published; and what plans she has to implement the plan across England;
	(3)  what progress has been made on the development of Muslim beacon centres; and what funding her Department has allocated to these centres;
	(4)  what assistance her Department provided for the drawing up of the Mosques Good Practice Guide; and where the guide has been distributed.

Phil Woolas: The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) has been established as an independent national body. It launched on 27 June 2006 following a national consultation with Muslim communities led by Lord Ahmed.
	A Mosques Good Practice Guide was published at the same time. The guide was published by MINAB in conjunction with the university of Birmingham. The Department for Communities and Local Government played no role in the development of this guide. Distribution of the guide is overseen by MINAB to mosques across Muslim communities.
	I understand that MINAB is being led by a steering group comprising of five Muslim organisations; Al-Khoei Foundation, British Muslim Forum, Muslim Council of Britain, Muslim Association of Britain and the World Federation of KSIMC. The members of the steering group have met informally on a number of occasions since the creation of MINAB. The steering group are currently developing proposals on the five main areas that MINAB will focus on, these are as follows:
	the accreditation of imams;
	the development of leadership skills for imams and mosque officials;
	progress in the inclusion of young people and women;
	improvement in the governance of mosques;
	supporting mosques to contribute to community cohesion and to combating extremism (this will include considering the idea of establishing beacon centres).
	The Department has no plan for a 'fit for purpose leadership and management development programme for imams and other faith community leaders'. As indicated, MINAB will be developing a programme of leadership skills training for imams and mosque officials.
	To maintain its independent nature, MINAB has not requested any funding from Government.

Muslim Groups

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds her Department has provided to the Muslim Women's Helpline; and how many calls this helpline has received since its establishment.

Phil Woolas: Muslim Woman's Helpline was awarded 4,950 from the first round of the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund.
	I understand in 2005 the helpline dealt with around 1,500 calls. The average length of each call was around 30 minutes.

Muslim Groups

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether the Muslim Youth Handbook has been published and distributed;
	(2)  what funds her Department has provided for the production of the Citizen's Rights and Responsibilities pocket guide for British Muslims;
	(3)  what funds have been allocated to the pilot project number 27 (subheading Women) in the working document Preventing Terrorism Together;
	(4)  what progress has been made on the creation of a manifesto for Muslim women as proposed in the working document Preventing Extremism Together;
	(5)  what research projects involving Muslim communities have been taken forward as a result of recommendation 64 of the working document Preventing Extremism Together.

Phil Woolas: The recommendations in the Preventing Extremism Together report were suggestions presented to Government from the community-led working groups set up after the London bombings. They were practical actions for both the Government and Muslim communities and organisations to consider and implement where appropriate. Progress on delivering the recommendations has been good with 49 of the 64 either completed or in progress.
	With regard to the specific PET recommendations included in your questions:
	 Muslim women
	While no specific work has started as a direct result of the suggestion of a national campaign and coalition (recommendation 27), the Government's work to engage with Muslim communities in part focuses on increasing the visibility of Muslim women and empowering them to become informed and active citizens within society.
	A specific focus of the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund is to support projects which develop the skills and capacity of Muslim women.
	The recommendation for the creation of a manifesto for Muslim women is one for communities to lead on.
	 Muslim Youth Handbook
	The handbook has not yet been produced; we are currently actively seeking community partners to develop this recommendation further.
	 Citizen's Rights and Responsibilities pocket guide
	We are currently in discussions with partners who are keen to take this forward, at this time no funding has been awarded.
	 Research (Recommendation 64)
	While there has been no specific research commissioned as a direct result of the PET recommendations, we continue to broaden our knowledge base through ongoing stakeholder engagement work and existing surveys such as the Citizenship Survey, which is the most substantial research of its kind.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many cars run by her Department were manufactured  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad.

Angela Smith: Information on cars operated by the Government Car and Despatch Agency is available on page 14 of its Annual Report and Accounts 2005-06, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
	In addition some Government Offices, which come under the Departmental umbrella, still retain pool cars for use on official business. Out of a total of 50 cars 13 were made in the UK.

Ordnance Survey

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what action she proposes to take in relation to Ordnance Survey in response to the recommendations made in the recent Office of Fair Trading's market study of public sector information; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: As one of the major public sector information holders covered by the study, Ordnance Survey is giving the report very careful consideration.
	Ordnance Survey officials will be working with officials in my department and in other Departments and organisations mentioned in the report to assist the Department of Trade and Industry in its co-ordination of the official Government response to the report.

Park Homes

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many responses there were to the Park Home Commission Rate consultation; and when she expects to publish the Government's response.

Yvette Cooper: We received 1,250 responses to the consultation on the Park Home Commission Rate. We intend publishing our response early in the new year.

Planning

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on planning guidance policy 3 in relation to building on brownfield sites.

Yvette Cooper: The Department received a range of representations on the development of housing on brownfield sites, in connection with the proposed replacement of Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 with Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) when it was published in draft for consultation last year. Final PPS3 was published on 29 November, together with the summary of consultation responses. Copies of both documents are in the Library.

Right to Buy Scheme

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total of right to buy set aside was for each year since the scheme started; and how much in each local authority was used to pay off historic debt.

Yvette Cooper: Communities and Local Government does not collect data on right to buy set-aside amounts. Nor does it collect data on how much set-aside was used to pay off debt.

Roads

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether there will be a public inquiry on the proposed Heysham M6 link road.

Yvette Cooper: Lancashire county council referred the planning application for the proposed Heysham M6 link road to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 3 November 2006 under the terms of a Direction (Article 14 of the Town and Country Planning Act (General Development Procedure Order 1995)) issued on 8 March 2006. The application, along with all the representations received, is currently under consideration with a view as to whether or not it should be called in for determination by the Secretary of State. If the application is called in it will necessitate a public inquiry.

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the working group of practitioners led by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors referred to in the  Official Report, 11 January 2006, column 400, has published its guidance for right to buy valuations.

Yvette Cooper: The code of practice 'Right to Buy: Valuations for Right to Buy, Right to Acquire and Equity Sharing of Social Housing' was published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in October 2006. More information is available on the RICS website at:
	http://www.ricsbooks.com/productInfo.asp?product_id=10101

Rural Programmes

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what programmes her Department operates to provide particular provision in rural areas; and what the cost of such programmes is expected to be in 2007-08.

Phil Woolas: For 2007-08, the Department expects to allocate 40,751,863 of neighbourhood renewal funding to five areas classified as rural and 11 areas classified as significantly rural.
	The National Affordable Housing programme seeks to provide affordable homes in both rural and urban communities based on the advice of regional bodies as to the appropriate balance in funding between the two. The Housing Corporation allocated over 250 million for schemes in rural communities of less than 10,000 population in 2006 to 2008.
	The Department also has a number of other programmes which benefit both urban and rural areas but to provide information on the cost of these programmes in rural areas alone is not possible.

Smoke Alarms

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the percentage of battery operated smoke alarms which did not operate in dwelling fires in each year since 1994.

Angela Smith: The available information covers primary fires in dwellings attended by fire and rescue services where a battery smoke alarm was fitted but failed to activate.
	
		
			  Primary fires in dwellings attended by fire and rescue services, England 1994-2005 
			  Percentage 
			Of which due to 
			   Battery operated smoke alarms: Percentage not operated  Flat/missing battery  Fire products did not reach detector  Other reasons 
			 1994 27 16 3 8 
			 1995 30 19 4 7 
			 1996 36 22 6 8 
			 1997 37 24 6 8 
			 1998 43 26 8 8 
			 1999 42 27 7 8 
			 2000 44 29 8 6 
			 2001 44 27 10 7 
			 2002 42 25 10 6 
			 2003 39 24 10 5 
			 2004 39 22 11 6 
			 2005(1) 38 19 12 6 
			 (1) Provisional  Notes:  Excludes fires during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003. Figures for 1994-2004 are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue service totals.  Source:  Fire and rescue service returns to the Department for Communities and Local Government

Smoke Alarms

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were killed in dwelling fires in each fire authority in each year since 1994.

Angela Smith: The number of people killed in accidental and deliberate dwelling fires attended by fire and rescue services in England is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Deaths in dwelling fires attended by fire and rescue services, England 1994-2005 
			   1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999 
			 England 376 428 428 432 383 334 
			 Avon 7 2 3 4 4 8 
			 Bedfordshire 4 4 6 3 4 1 
			 Berkshire 4 3 12 5 7 3 
			 Buckinghamshire 3 4 4 7 2 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 3 9 4 2 3 
			 Cheshire 5 6 8 11 7 8 
			 Cleveland 1 7 5 10 2 3 
			 Cornwall 2 6 1 6 3 3 
			 Cumbria 5 10 3 4 5 3 
			 Derbyshire 10 6 5 7 8 7 
			 Devon 5 5 6 4 6 4 
			 Dorset 0 10 8 5 1 8 
			 Durham 9 6 3 9 4 9 
			 East Sussex 4 6 7 7 8 5 
			 Essex 6 11 13 14 6 6 
			 Gloucestershire 6 7 5 4 2 1 
			 Hampshire 7 14 15 5 8 9 
			 Hereford and Worcester 6 2 1 6 4 3 
			 Hertfordshire 5 6 10 10 7 4 
			 Humberside 9 18 8 7 10 5 
			 Isle of Wight 1 2 1 1 1 0 
			 Kent 11 12 12 7 5 5 
			 Lancashire 12 21 19 22 15 15 
			 Leicestershire 5 9 10 4 9 3 
			 Lincolnshire 6 6 4 2 7 3 
			 Norfolk 1 2 2 5 1 5 
			 North Yorkshire 8 5 7 7 8 4 
			 Northamptonshire 4 4 3 8 8 5 
			 Northumberland 4 3 0 3 1 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 5 4 11 16 10 8 
			 Oxfordshire 3 4 10 4 8 5 
			 Shropshire 7 1 1 3 0 1 
			 Somerset 2 3 5 4 1 0 
			 Staffordshire 4 8 7 10 8 7 
			 Suffolk 2 9 0 6 6 1 
			 Surrey 6 2 4 5 6 3 
			 Warwickshire 1 1 1 2 4 2 
			 West Sussex 3 1 2 5 4 7 
			 Wiltshire 8 3 7 4 0 1 
			 Greater Manchester 36 27 24 29 24 29 
			 Merseyside 17 15 19 10 21 8 
			 South Yorkshire 4 8 11 6 12 11 
			 Tyne and Wear 11 6 12 5 16 5 
			 West Midlands 21 26 19 16 19 22 
			 West Yorkshire 24 29 35 24 23 20 
			 Greater London 66 81 70 92 66 65 
		
	
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 ( 1 ) 2005 
			 England 351 358 327 349 268 262 
			 Avon 5 6 6 6 3 7 
			 Bedfordshire 5 3 4 5 2 4 
			 Berkshire 7 4 1 6 2 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 6 3 6 4 1 2 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 2 1 2 3 2 
			 Cheshire 6 7 5 4 1 7 
			 Cleveland 1 5 2 8 2 4 
			 Cornwall 4 4 4 3 3 3 
			 Cumbria 3 5 3 3 3 2 
			 Derbyshire 10 5 10 11 6 3 
			 Devon 7 3 4 6 1 2 
			 Dorset 2 8 6 1 3 1 
			 Durham 7 5 3 8 3 4 
			 East Sussex 3 3 4 6 4 1 
			 Essex 10 6 7 8 6 10 
			 Gloucestershire 2 1 2 5 1 1 
			 Hampshire 8 7 5 5 7 6 
			 Hereford and Worcester 2 2 4 4 2 2 
			 Hertfordshire 6 5 6 0 0 4 
			 Humberside 7 7 7 7 7 4 
			 Isle of Wight 0 2 0 0 0 1 
			 Kent 9 11 9 9 5 12 
			 Lancashire 17 14 26 13 15 8 
			 Leicestershire 1 5 7 4 9 3 
			 Lincolnshire 4 4 6 4 4 2 
			 Norfolk 9 6 2 4 3 4 
			 North Yorkshire 2 4 5 5 2 2 
			 Northamptonshire 3 3 3 3 3 2 
			 Northumberland 1 6 0 3 0 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 3 6 6 4 5 5 
			 Oxfordshire 1 3 6 4 2 2 
			 Shropshire 8 2 4 1 1 2 
			 Somerset 1 5 5 4 2 2 
			 Staffordshire 8 7 5 3 6 3 
			 Suffolk 3 5 4 4 2 3 
			 Surrey 7 2 4 7 2 4 
			 Warwickshire 5 6 0 1 2 3 
			 West Sussex 3 2 4 4 12 1 
			 Wiltshire 0 4 6 2 1 1 
			 Greater Manchester 23 27 17 29 17 31 
			 Merseyside 22 15 11 10 13 12 
			 South Yorkshire 12 18 5 13 12 11 
			 Tyne and Wear 5 7 5 7 4 6 
			 West Midlands 30 23 20 18 17 19 
			 West Yorkshire 22 12 21 24 23 14 
			 Greater London 48 68 56 67 46 38 
			 (1) Provisional  Notes:  Includes deaths reported from other sources during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003.  Source:  Fire and rescue service returns to the Department for Communities and Local Government

Sustainable Communities Plan

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which projects in Kent Thameside have received funding from her Department since the launch of the Sustainable Communities Plan in February 2003.

Yvette Cooper: The following schemes have been given funding from the Thames Gateway Growth Area Fund:
	North East Gravesend Regeneration Programme
	Dartford Town Centre Regeneration Programme
	Fastrack Programme
	Northfleet Embankment Regeneration Programme
	Gravesend Town Centre Initiatives
	Gravesend Community Woodland Programme
	Homes and Road Transport Infrastructure Programme
	Managing the Marshes, Dartford
	Cobham Ashenbank Management Scheme
	Enhancement of Darent Valley study
	Darenth Valley Path
	Shorne Wood Country Park
	Swanscombe Heritage Park
	Dartford Heath
	Swanscombe Regeneration
	Swanscombe Peninsula Feasibility Study
	Kent Thameside Delivery Board
	The Old Rectory, Gravesend.

Tenant Management Organisations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the tenant management organisations (TMOs) in operation, broken down by local authority; and how many TMOs there were in each local authority in each of the last three years.

Yvette Cooper: The National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations (NFTMO) keeps a database of TMOs. It is likely that some TMOs will exist, and some will have folded, without the knowledge of the NFTMO. But this database is the best information we have. It has provided the following list of TMOs, broken down by local authority area:
	
		
			  Local authority area  Number 
			 Birmingham City Council 8 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council 1 
			 Burnley Borough Council 1 
			 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council 1 
			 Carlisle City Council 1 
			 Cheltenham Borough Council 1 
			 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 1 
			 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council 1 
			 Gloucester City Council 1 
			 Great Yarmouth Borough Council 1 
			 Hartlepool Borough Council 3 
			 Hyndburn Borough Council 1 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council 1 
			 London Borough of Brent 2 
			 London Borough of Camden 7 
			 London Borough of Ealing 2 
			 London Borough of Greenwich 1 
			 London Borough of Hackney 9 
			 London Borough of Havering 1 
			 London Borough of Hillingdon 1 
			 London Borough of Islington 34 
			 London Borough of Lambeth 16 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 3 
			 London Borough of Merton 1 
			 London Borough of Newham 2 
			 London Borough of Redbridge 1 
			 London Borough of Southwark 16 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 3 
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest 1 
			 London Borough of Wandsworth 12 
			 Leeds City Council 1 
			 Leicester City Council 1 
			 Liverpool City Council 4 
			 Manchester City Council 2 
			 Middlesbrough Borough Council 1 
			 Nottingham City Council 1 
			 Norwich City Council 1 
			 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council 1 
			 Plymouth City Council 2 
			 Preston City Council 1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council 1 
			 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council 3 
			 Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 3 
			 Rossendale Borough Council 3 
			 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 2 
			 Salford City Council 3 
			 Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council 2 
			 Sheffield City Council 3 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council 1 
			 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council 3 
			 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council 9 
			 West Lancashire District Council 4 
			 Westminster City Council 15 
			 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council 1 
			 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council 5 
		
	
	The list includes TMOs in local authority-owned and housing association-owned properties.
	The following number of TMOs within local authority-owned stock has gone live within each of the last three years:
	
		
			  Local authority area  Number 
			  2006-07  
			 London Borough of Southwark 1 
			 Westminster City Council 1 
			 Wolverhampton City Council 1 
			  2005-06  
			 Birmingham City Council 2 
			 London Borough of Hackney 2 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 1 
			 London Borough of Wandsworth 1 
			 Leeds City Council (1)1 
			 Manchester City Council 1 
			  2004-05  
			 Liverpool City Council 1 
			 London Borough of Havering 1 
			 London Borough of Islington 1 
			 London Borough of Newham 1 
			 West Lancashire District Council 1 
			 (1) Extending an existing TMO 
		
	
	Currently there are 20 TMOs in development.

Thames Gateway

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason her Department has decided to re-brand the Thames Gateway as Thames Estuary Parklands.

Yvette Cooper: The Department is not re-branding the Thames Gateway as Thames Estuary Parklands. On 22 November 2006 the Government published their Interim Plan for the Thames Gateway, which, among other things, set out the Government's intention to develop the Thames Gateway Parklands. The Parklands will form one important part of our investment programme across the Thames Gateway to revitalise the economy, deliver the new homes, jobs and infrastructure that are needed and create quality green spaces for local people to enjoy.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Airline Plot

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what lessons were learned from the aborted airline plot of August 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: As is normal practice with any major operation the police will be considering lessons learned with regard to intelligence and operational issues.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in Eastbourne constituency in each year since their introduction.

Tony McNulty: ASBO data are not available at parliamentary constituency level. A table giving the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued annually, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, by the local government authority area in which prohibitions have been imposed, up to 31 December 2005 (latest available), can be found on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk

Biometric Records

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has put in place to prevent the release to third parties of biometric records shared between his Department and other Government Departments or agencies.

Joan Ryan: The Home Office holds and exchanges biometric records in a secure manner through the use of secure databases and connections and, where appropriate, encryption.
	Biometric information is provided to another Government Department or agency only where there is a legal power to do so and where the exercise of that power is lawful. In particular the disclosure must not breach any duty of confidence and must comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998. It would be incumbent upon any Department or agency receiving such information to process it in accordance with the law.

Biometric Records

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether biometric records held by his Department have been shared with agencies outside the United Kingdom.

Joan Ryan: The Home Office does share biometric records with agencies outside the United Kingdom where necessary for the prevention or detection of crime or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders.
	However, biometric information is provided to another Government Department or agency only where there is a legal power to do so and where the exercise of that power is lawful. In particular the disclosure must not breach any duty of confidence and must comply with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998. It would be incumbent upon any Department or Agency receiving such information to process it in accordance with the law.

Bluewater

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans have been considered for building Government-funded CCTV into the Bluewater shopping mall estate security.

Tony McNulty: I am not aware of any such plans.

Child Sex Offenders

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average  (a) sentence and  (b) time served by convicted child sex offenders in England and Wales was in each of the last 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested on the average custodial sentence length imposed on persons sentenced for sexual offences against children in England and Wales is shown in the table. Also shown are the total number of persons receiving immediate custodial sentences for these offences and those who received life or indeterminate sentences. All sexual offences in which it is possible to determine from the wording of the statute that the victim was a child have been included and that covers offences of buggery, indecent assault, sexual assault, unlawful sexual intercourse, indecency, rape, sexual activity, incest, familial sexual offences, procuration, exploitation of prostitution, abduction, abuse of children through prostitution and pornography, abuse of trust and gross indecency.
	The time served by prisoners convicted of sexual offences against children is not available because the codes contained on the Prison IT system do not have sufficient detail to enable identification of all such offences.
	
		
			  Persons sentenced to immediate custody and average custodial sentence length( 1)  for sexual offences against children, England and Wales, 1996 to 2005 
			   Persons sentenced to immediate custody  Of which, sentenced to life or indeterminate sentence  Average custodial sentence length( 1)  (months) 
			 1996 1,723 8 33.9 
			 1997 1,762 13 34.1 
			 1998 1,768 17 35.6 
			 1999 1,791 32 35.5 
			 2000 1,699 21 34.5 
			 2001 1,666 26 34.4 
			 2002 1,779 17 36.8 
			 2003 2,210 19 31.8 
			 2004 2,328 24 33.8 
			 2005 2,105 48 34.3 
			 (1) Excluding life and indeterminate sentences.  Note: Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Home Office

Communication Networks

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the vulnerability of the UK's critical national infrastructure of communication networks; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Government work closely with partners in the public and private sectors, as well as their international counterparts, to help safeguard the UK's electronic communications critical national infrastructure (CNI). This includes on-going assessment of the CNI's resilience to the range of hazards and threats that the UK facesincluding its capability to respond to and recover from emergenciesand the provision of advice to stakeholders.

Computer-assisted Fraud

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of computer assisted fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not held centrally and collecting it would involve disproportionate costs.
	Most recent credible figure for the cost of fraud comes from research by consultants National Economic Research Associates (NERA) published in 2000.
	This estimated fraud to cost the public sector a total of 4.1 billion-9.3 billion in 1998-99. It did not, however, separately identify computer-assisted fraud.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter dated 23 October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Ms Fatima Begum.

John Reid: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 5 December.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 27 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Ms Ndey Yama Mbye.

John Reid: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 7 December 2006.

Crime Statistics

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed in the Sunderland city council area in  (a) 1997 and  (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The available information relates to the Sunderland crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) area. Data at CDRP level is not available prior to 1999-2000. There were 28,429 offences recorded by the police in the Sunderland CDRP in 2005-06.

Cyber-terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what early warning system the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre uses in relation to potential cyber-terrorism.

Tony McNulty: The National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) uses a range of channelspublic and confidentialto warn and inform the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) about potential cyber attacks.

Domestic Disturbance Calls

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average response time was for the police in Tamworth constituency in relation to domestic disturbance calls in each of the past two years.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not routinely collect this data. However, Staffordshire Police have provided average response times for the police in Tamworth in relation to domestic disturbance calls for each of the past two years: 17.91 minutes in 2004-05; and 18.44 minutes in 2005-06. These data are for all incidents (not just 999 calls), and include those which have been re-classified, such as responses to neighbours reporting incidents.

Domestic Forced Labour

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the  (a) categories and  (b) levels of domestic forced labour in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: The national action plan on combating human trafficking, which will be published early in 2007, will contain proposals on how we intend to combat trafficking for labour exploitation. This will include research proposals aimed at developing our knowledge of this particular aspect of trafficking.

Domestic Forced Labour

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support his Department provides to victims of domestic forced labour in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: We currently have very little knowledge on trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation and there is no support offered specifically on the basis of being a victim of trafficking for labour exploitation.
	It is thought that the greater problem in the UK is those who have been smuggled into the country and end up working in exploitative conditions rather than victims of trafficking. However, we recognise the need for greater knowledge of the extent and scope of the problem. To this end we are looking at what research is needed as part of the UK Action Plan to combat trafficking which will be published early in 2007, and which will contain proposals specific to trafficking for labour exploitation.

Domestic Forced Labour

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will commission research into  (a) forced labour and  (b) forced domestic work in England and Wales.

Vernon Coaker: Plans for research into these areas are currently being considered as part of the National Action Plan to combat trafficking which will be published in early 2007.

Drugs

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children of school age have been cautioned for drug-related offences in each year since 2002.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 7 December 2006
	Available information relates to the number of persons aged 18 cautioned and persons aged under 18 receiving reprimands or warnings for principal drug offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
	The decrease in 2004 coincides with the introduction of formal warnings for cannabis possession in January 2004 that can be applied to those aged 18 and over.
	
		
			  Persons aged under 19 cautioned( 1)  for principal drug offences, England and Wales, 2002 to 2004 
			   Number 
			 2002 14,314 
			 2003 14,550 
			 2004(2) 11,328 
			 (1) Includes warnings and reprimands for under 18s. (2) Excludes police formal (street) warnings for cannabis possession, introduced in January 2004, which are not counted as police cautions.

Drugs

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders are on drugs rehabilitation courses in prisons; and what estimate he has made of the number of drug users in prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the numbers engaging in drug treatment in prisons in the last financial year.
	Information on the number of drug users in prison is not collated centrally.
	Prisons rely on epidemiological surveys to determine levels of substance dependence. Studies show that around 55 per cent. of those received into custody report a serious drug problemwith 80 per cent. reporting some misuse; in certain prisons, up to 80 per cent. test positive for opiates on reception. Based on an annual throughput of 130,000 offenders, this equates to 70,000 drug-misusers passing through custody in the course of a year, with 39,000 present at any one time.
	
		
			   Clinical Management( 1)  CARATs( 2)  Initial assessments  Programme entrants 
			 2005-06 53,323 74,588 10,743 
			 (1) Includes maintenance, detoxification and alcohol detoxification (2) Counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare service (3) Includes 8,709 by YPSMS (Young Persons Substance Misuse Service)the substance misuse service for under 18s.

Emergency Refuge Accommodation

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to increase the provision of emergency refuge accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Through a capital investment of over 30 million since 2003-04 we have increased the provision of emergency accommodation for people fleeing domestic violence by 511 bed spaces nationally. Decisions around the provision of emergency refuge accommodation rest with each local authority and this should be based on local need.
	We have also committed 90 million over three years to 2008 to improve the quality of emergency hostel accommodation. This investment is more focused on improving the quality and effectiveness of the accommodation than about increasing the number of bed spaces.
	We and the LGA will shortly publish joint guidance on 'Options for Setting Up a Sanctuary Scheme' which shows local authorities how to set up effective sanctuaries for victims of domestic violence. The scheme allows the victim (and their children) to remain in their own accommodation, where it is their choice and where it is safe for them to do so.

Ethics and Integrity Code

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed EU development of a code of conduct on ethics and integrity for public officials; and what its legal base is.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	We are not aware of any proposals to amend the regulations governing the conduct of staff at the EU institutions.

European Citizens' Initiative

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed EU legislation for a European Citizens' Initiative; and what its legal base is.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no proposed EU legislation for a citizens' initiative procedure.

Faith Monitoring

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendation of the Preventing Extremism Together report on improving data collection on Muslim communities through faith monitoring; and whether he has plans to conduct faith monitoring of other religious groups.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	Having reviewed cross-Government data collection processes in the light of this recommendation, we do not accept the solution proposed. We acknowledge the need for a robust evidence base on the experience of communities that can inform targeted policy interventions aimed at building capacity and tackling extremism. But faith monitoring (ie the regular gathering of administrative data on faith) would be a significant step, for which we do not accept that there is currently a need. We will keep this under review as part of Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society, the cross-Government strategy on race equality and community cohesion.

Fine Defaulters

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prison receptions for  (a) men and  (b) women were fine defaulters in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: During 2005 there were  (a) 1,878 male fine defaulters representing 2.2 per cent. of the 84,268 male prisoners received under sentence or 1.6 per cent. of the 119,783 total male receptions into prison establishments in England and Wales; and  (b) 160 female fine defaulters representing 2.0 per cent. of the 8,184 female prisoners received under sentence or 1.3 per cent. of total female receptions into prison establishments in England and Wales.
	These figures can be found at table 7.1 of the recently published Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005 which is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1806.pdf
	The figures referred to have been drawn from administrative IT systems.
	Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Fingerprinting

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances individuals will have their fingerprints scanned by electronic hand-held devices.

Tony McNulty: At present individuals only have their fingerprints scanned by electronic hand-held devices by the police in relation to an offence, to determine their identity without the officer having to make an arrest and take them to a police station solely for this purpose.

Firework Offences: Fines

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many on-the-spot fines were imposed for fireworks offences in November 2006, broken down by local authority.

Vernon Coaker: The Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) scheme was introduced in England and Wales in 2004. PNDs can be issued for a number of offences under the Fireworks Act 2003. The offences of breach of the fireworks curfew, possession of category four fireworks, and possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework were added to the PND Scheme on 11 October 2004. Data on the number of PNDs issued for these offences in November 2006 will be available in early 2007.

Fraud Investigations

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances an investigation can arise into an individual observed as living beyond his identifiable means.

Vernon Coaker: The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 allows for an investigation into the whereabouts and extent of a person's wealth to run in parallel with a criminal investigation and prosecution. A confiscation order can then be made by the court as part of the sentencing process. The money laundering provisions in the Act include the offences of concealing, acquisition, use and possession of property that a person knows or suspects constitutes benefit from any criminal conduct. If an individual is living beyond their identifiable means a money laundering investigation could commence.

Heroin Addicts

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to prison officers in the last 12 months on the relative benefits of  (a) methadone prescription and  (b) detoxification for heroin addicts.

John Reid: In November 2006, the Department of Health published Clinical Management of Drug Dependence in the Adult Prison Setting. This document has been issued to heads of prison health care in national health service primary care trusts.
	A copy of this document is available in the House Library.

Identity and Passport Service

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Identity and Passport Service spent on external consultants and advisers in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Joan Ryan: The costs of non-permanent staff including interim staff appointments, consultants and external advisers engaged by the UK Passport Service (now the Identity and Passport Service) in the last five financial years to March 2006 has been:
	
		
			
			 2001-02 3,010,225 
			 2002-03 3,375,914 
			 2003-04 5,301,227 
			 2004-05 10,095,829 
			 2005-06 17,186,829

Identity and Passport Service

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the  (a) ports and  (b) airports where 24-hour cover is provided by the Identity and Passport Service.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is responsible for issuing passports to British nationals in the UK and for implementing the National Identity Scheme. It has facilities to issue passports at its seven regional offices on six days a week and has a 24-hour staffed telephone inquiry service. Ports and airports have 24-hour automated access to IPS databases on issued and lost/stolen British passports. It is not considered necessary for IPS to be present at ports or airports.

Intensive Fostering

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of intensive fostering as an alternative to a custodial sentence for a young person.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No assessment of the effectiveness of intensive fostering as an alternative to custody has yet been made. The piloting of intensive fostering commenced in April 2005 and is currently running in three areas until March 2008. York university will be evaluating the pilots. An initial interim evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot is due in mid 2007 and a full evaluation is due in 2008.

London Bombings

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has received the full report from the police on the discrepancies about the time of departure of the Luton train on which those responsible for the 7th July bombings travelled; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: A report has been received from the police about the time of departure of the Luton train on which those responsible for the 7 July bombings travelled. The report confirms (as my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in Parliament on 11 July 2006) that an error was made in the timing and that the train departed from Luton station at 07.25 and not 07.40 as said in the Official Account of the bombings. This discrepancy was the result of human error and we will ensure that the Official Account is amended accordingly.

National Infrastructure Security

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the critical national infrastructure is monitored on a 24-hour basis by National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre staff;
	(2)  what the  (a) hours of operation and  (b) levels of staffing per shift are of the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre computer specialists helpdesk.

Tony McNulty: During normal hours, the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) is fully staffed. NISCC monitors activity and responds to calls around the clock. It has the capability to increase its staffing as the need arises.
	At all other times, due to the cross-border nature of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) protection, NISCC participates in the international watch and warn service.

National Infrastructure Security

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the staff of the National Infrastructure Co-ordination Centre are employed full-time.

Tony McNulty: The National Infrastructure Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) employs approximately 85 people, the majority of whom are full-time staff.

Official Cars

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars run by his Department were manufactured  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office does not record or collate country of origin information on cars procured or leased by the Department. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
	Information on cars operated by the Government Car and Despatch Agency is available on page 14 of its annual report and accounts 2005-06, copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Passports

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of how many additional officials will be required by his Department to process biometric passport applications.

Joan Ryan: No additional staff will be required at the Identity and Passport Service to process biometric passport applications.

Penalty Notices

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices for disorder in respect of  (a) behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to others,  (b) drunk and disorderly behaviour in a public place,  (c) destroying or damaging property up to the value of 500,  (d) retail theft under 200,  (e) sale of alcohol to a person under 18 years of age,  (f) selling alcohol to a drunken person,  (g) using threatening words or behaviour and  (h) breach of a fireworks curfew were (i) issued and (ii) unpaid in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 December 2006
	Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of PNDs issued, paid and not paid for the offences  (a) to  (f),  (h) and (i) in England and Wales from 2004 to 2006 (January to June provisional) can be found in the following table. (The offences referred to separately as  (a) behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress and  (g) using threatening words and behaviour are covered by the one offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986).
	The initial payment rate for PNDs was 53 per cent. in 2005, an increase of 1 per cent. on 2004 (only 1 per cent. requested a court hearing). 42 per cent. of PND recipients had a fine of one and a half times the penalty registered against them as they failed to pay the penalty or request a court hearing within the 21-day suspended enforcement period. Once registered, these fines fall into the HMCS fine enforcement and collection systems. The courts are currently claiming an overall payment rate for fines of 95 per cent.
	
		
			  Number of persons issued with penalty notices for disorder for various offences in England and Wales, 2003 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			   DA04 causing harassment, alarm or distress  DA06 drunk and disorderly  DA18 sale of alcohol to person under 18  DA11 criminal damage (under 500)  DA12 theft (retail under 200)  DA13 breach of fireworks curfew( 3)  DA16 sale of alcohol to drunken person( 4) 
			 2004 28,790 26,609 113 1,190 2,072 12 0 
			 2005 64,007 37,038 2,058 12,168 21,997 33 32 
			 2006 36,639 19,917 1,562 8,631 16,807 11 23 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) January to June 2006 data is provisional. (3) Offence added to the PND Scheme on 11 October 2004. (4) Offence added to the PND scheme with effect from 4 April 2005.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Places of Worship

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have been held with Christian denominational leaders about security matters relating to places of worship.

Tony McNulty: No such discussions have taken place at a national level.

Police

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid per head of population to police authorities in Wales by his Department in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Government grant funding( 1)  per head of population( 2) 
			   2002-03  2003-04 
			  Force  Home Office top-up grant( 4 ) ()  Resident population  Funding per head of population ()  Home Office top-up grant( 4 ) ()  Resident population  Funding per head of population () 
			 Dyfed-Powys  482,827 111.64 476,315 488,347 115.54 
			 Gwent  557,368 129.56  552,505 138.57 
			 North Wales  660,263 119.44  663,536 123.90 
			 South Wales  1,245,737 135.82 4,741,252 1,198,768 145.64 
			
			 Wales  2,946,195 127.00 5,217,567 2,903,156 134.26 
			 England and Wales  52,936,913 142.55  52,077,279 153.75 
		
	
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  
			  Force  Home Office top-up grant( 4 ) ()  Resident population  Funding per head of population ()  Home Office top-up grant( 4 ) ()  Resident population  Funding per head of population ()  2005-06 (Adj)( 5)  () 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,409,582 494,122 118.27 1,278,038 498,695 121.54 121.59 
			 Gwent 2,119,011 554,036 142.41 1,189,949 555,300 148.05 147.50 
			 North Wales 1,511,860 668,303 128.66 1,944,415 670,808 132.03 131.67 
			 South Wales 8,683,390 1,202,262 151.12 9,460,540 1,213,188 156.51 156.58 
			 
			 Wales 13,723,843 2,918,723 138.76 13,872,942 2,937,991 143.39 143.23 
			 England and Wales  52,472,667 157.37  52,785,688 163.65 163.65 
		
	
	
		
			   2006-07 
			  Force  Redistribution of grant from South Wales( 3 ) ()  Home Office top-up grant( 4 ) ()  Resident population  Funding per head of population () 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,096,290 2,588,267 506,804 126.65 
			 Gwent 1,572,132 1,099,853 563,027 152.96 
			 North Wales 1,545,303 5,636,768 680,508 132.36 
			 South Wales -4,213,725  1,229,752 159.86 
			  
			 Wales 0 9,324,888 2,980,091 146.63 
			 England and Wales   53,463,197 169.05 
			 (1) Government funding includes general grant (Home Office police grant, ODPM/Welsh Assembly Government revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates). It also includes specific grants: Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Policing Fund, Basic Command Unit funding, Community Support Officer funding (including, for 2004-05 and 2005-06, Round 1 of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund), Airwave, DNA Expansion Programme, Street Crime Initiative, Special Priority Payments and capital grants.  (2) Source for resident population figures: Department for Communities and Local Government, and Welsh Assembly Government as used in the calculation of the police funding settlements.  (3) South Wales had a reduction in grant provision to ensure it received a comparable general grant increase as police authorities in England. The amount South Wales was deducted (4.2 million) was paid out to the other three Welsh police authorities.  (4) Top-up grantWelsh Assembly Government does not operate a grant damping mechanism for revenue support grant/national non-domestic rates. The Home Secretary has, since 2003-04, provided additional funding to ensure Welsh police authorities receive at least a minimum floor increase in grant in line with English authorities.  (5) Adjusted for comparison purposes following the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant in 2006-07 and the 2003-04 Amending Report repayments.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many and what percentage of cases of Police Unsatisfactory Performance Complaints and Misconduct Procedures a dispensation has been  (a) sought and  (b) granted for delay in accordance with Section II, Appendix B, paragraph 6 of the Guidance on Police Unsatisfactory Performance Complaints and Misconduct Procedures.

Tony McNulty: The Independent Police Complaints Commission is responsible for the management of the police complaints system.

Police

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the areas of London where standard operating procedure for police officers is to patrol  (a) in multiples,  (b) with protective armour,  (c) with special incapacitants and  (d) with armed response on-call.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter and the responsibility of the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis.

Police

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent front-line police officers there were per head of population in each police force in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The available data are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Operational police officer strength( 1)  per 100,000 of the population( 2)  as at 31 March 2004 to 31 March 2006 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Avon and Somerset 212 211 213 
			 Bedfordshire 193 192 194 
			 Cambridgeshire 165 163 162 
			 Cheshire 198 194 195 
			 Cleveland 263 257 231 
			 Cumbria 241 244 232 
			 Derbyshire 190 189 190 
			 Devon and Cornwall 191 196 201 
			 Dorset 181 160 186 
			 Durham 257 258 250 
			 Dyfed-Powys 201 196 215 
			 Essex 180 186 192 
			 Gloucestershire 207 207 206 
			 Greater Manchester 298 290 288 
			 Gwent 230 240 244 
			 Hampshire 195 191 189 
			 Hertfordshire 189 195 197 
			 Humberside 232 230 231 
			 Kent 210 198 195 
			 Lancashire 234 235 235 
			 Leicestershire 225 n/a 221 
			 Lincolnshire 173 171 172 
			 London, City of 8,865 9,201 9,210 
			 Merseyside 268 281 276 
			 Metropolitan Police 337 346 331 
			 Norfolk 173 173 175 
			 North Wales 190 n/a 223 
			 North Yorkshire 186 163 200 
			 Northamptonshire 186 191 191 
			 Northumbria 266 279 276 
			 Nottinghamshire 222 228 228 
			 South Wales 247 248 243 
			 South Yorkshire 205 234 237 
			 Staffordshire 195 197 195 
			 Suffolk 186 187 185 
			 Surrey 163 157 155 
			 Sussex 155 186 187 
			 Thames Valley 177 179 178 
			 Warwickshire 172 181 187 
			 West Mercia 188 188 187 
			 West Midlands 281 286 288 
			 West Yorkshire 242 259 261 
			 Wiltshire 181 180 177 
			 n/a = Not available for Leicestershire and North Wales for 2004-05. (1) Full-time equivalent figures given to the nearest whole number. Includes staff on career breaks or maternity or paternity leave. The number of operational police officers have been provided; the definition of which are as follows: Any member of staff, including covert staff, whose primary role is directly to deliver the overarching aims of the Police Service. To 'directly deliver' the role must involve routine and immediate interface (either face to face or by telephone) with the public, including covert operational staff in such roles can be considered as front-line service providers. (2) Population data are taken from ONS mid-year estimates mid-2002.

Police

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been paid out in compensation by each police force in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 30 November 2006
	This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Police

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers his Department funded in Avon and Somerset in 2006; and how many his Department has committed to fund in 2007.

Tony McNulty: In 2006-07 Avon and Somerset will receive funding from the Home Office towards the costs of 342 police community support officers (PCSOs). In 2007-08 we will provide funding towards the continuation cost of these 342 PCSOs, along with a further sum of 465,000 to help the force manage the wider costs of delivering neighbourhood policing.

Police

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances it is permissible for police forces to use non-lethal weapons.

Tony McNulty: Once authorised to use less lethal weapons, it is for the individual officer to ensure they act within the law. Under section 3 of the Criminal Law Act 1967, the use of force for the prevention of crime and apprehension of offenders and those unlawfully at large (both by the police and the public) must be 'reasonable' in all circumstances. It may be for a court to decide whether the officer's behaviour was reasonable. Common law also recognises that the use of force may be lawful if it is necessary, for example in self-defence or defence of another.

Police

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) spray,  (b) stun and  (c) other non-lethal weapons may be used by police forces in England and Wales.

Tony McNulty: It is for individual chief constables to decide what less lethal weapons are appropriate in local circumstances. There are two different types of incapacitant sprays being used by police forces in England and Wales: 2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) and pelargonic vanillylamide (PAVA). There are also two different models of conducted energy devices being used as less lethal weapons: the M26 Advanced Taser and the X26 Taser. The police may also use the L60A1 Attenuating Energy Projectile (AEP) impact round, fired from the L104A1 37 mm weapon. Individual officers may carry batons of various designs.

Police

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) actual and  (b) percentage change was in Band D police precept for each police authority area in each of the last 10 years; and what the actual and percentage change was in each area over the 10 year period, ranked in ascending order of percentage change.

Tony McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 28 November 2006,  Official Report, column 400W.

Police

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each police force cost per head of population in the last period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Police force costs per head of population 2005-06 
			  Estimated net expenditure per head of population 
			  Police authority  Total net expenditure 2005-06 estimates( 3 ) ()  Resident population( 1)  Cost per head of population 2005-06 () 
			 Avon and Somerset 240,632,000 1,508,171 159.55 
			 Bedfordshire 87,283,000 573,765 152.12 
			 Cambridgeshire 112,674,000 729,812 154.39 
			 Cheshire 148,604,000 990,323 150.06 
			 Cleveland 114,811,000 554,546 207.04 
			 Cumbria 89,115,000 489,829 181.93 
			 Derbyshire 145,884,000 976,212 149.44 
			 Devon and Cornwall 243,711,000 1,601,215 152.20 
			 Dorset 106,977,000 699,428 152.95 
			 Durham 105,403,000 592,369 177.93 
			 Essex 232,229,000 1,629,647 142.50 
			 Gloucestershire 95,928,000 568,452 168.75 
			 Hampshire 268,094,000 1,797,070 149.18 
			 Hertfordshire 159,458,000 1,040,925 153.19 
			 Humberside 156,909,000 881 ,652 177.97 
			 Kent 256,520,000 1,599,912 160.33 
			 Lancashire 240,365,000 1,429,212 168.18 
			 Leicestershire 146,276,000 938,811 155.81 
			 Lincolnshire 89,864,000 665,270 135.08 
			 Norfolk 126,989,000 810,695 156.64 
			 Northamptonshire 110,200,000 642,708 171.46 
			 North Yorkshire 126,166,000 759,183 166.19 
			 Nottinghamshire 173,367,000 1 ,029,293 168.43 
			 Staffordshire 163,905,000 1,048,973 156.25 
			 Suffolk 98,863,000 678,074 145.80 
			 Surrey 165,407,000 1,064,575 155.37 
			 Sussex 231,282,000 1,506,187 153.55 
			 Thames Valley 325,214,000 2,112,536 153.94 
			 Warwickshire 77,200,000 519,301 148.66 
			 West Mercia 172,791,000 1,173,231 147.28 
			 Wiltshire 92,612,000 622,021 148.89 
			  Shires 4,904,733,000 31,233,398 157.03 
			 
			 Greater Manchester 493,914,000 2,530,956 195.15 
			 Merseyside 307,130,000 1,364,212 225.13 
			 Northumbria 262,015,000 1,392,448 188.17 
			 South Yorkshire 225,363,000 1,272,609 177.09 
			 West Midlands 490,960,000 2,578,387 190.41 
			 West Yorkshire 382,975,000 2,095,862 182.73 
			  Prov Mets 2,162,357,000 11,234,474 192.48 
			 
			 Metropolitan 2,488.300,000 7,379.825 337. 18 
			 
			  Total England( 2) 9,555,390,000 49,847,697 191.69 
			 
			 Dyfed-Powys 80,277,000 498,695 160.97 
			 Gwent 102,311,000 555,300 184.24 
			 North Wales 120,479,000 670,808 179,60 
			 South Wales 227,435,000 1,213,188 187.47 
			  Total Wales 530,502,000 2,937,991 180.57 
			 
			  Total England and Wales 10,085,892,000 52,785,688 191.07 
			 (1) Resident population are 2003 figures. (2) City of London not included as population figures not available. ( 3 ) Source:  The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy police statistics (CIPFA).

Prison Service

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which places of detention on the prison estate have  (a) seconded,  (b) designated and  (c) appointed a (i) full-time and (ii) part-time foreign national prisoner co-ordinator or equivalent post; and which foreign national prisoner co-ordinators are available to non-governmental organisations working on prisoner welfare matters.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As of July 2006,108 public sector prisons and nine contracted prisons in England and Wales had a member of staff assigned to the role of foreign national co-ordinator. The number of hours spent on this role will depend on the number of foreign national prisoners in the establishment but is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Foreign national co-ordinators carry out the duties and functions of the prison, but they will liaise and work with non-governmental organisation wherever possible and appropriate.

Prison Service

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the responsibilities and job content are of a foreign national prisoner co-ordinator; and if he will place an example of a job description in the Library.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no centrally prescribed job description which covers the responsibility and job content for foreign national prisoner co-ordinators. This remains a matter for individual prison governors to determine. The amount of time allocated to the role and the responsibilities undertaken will vary according to the size and nature of the prison and the number of foreign national prisoners held. It is therefore not possible to provide a common job description.

Prison Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many Prison Service staff attended the Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre after 28 November to assist in dealing with the incident which occurred there on that date;
	(2)  what the cost was of seconding prison staff from gaols in England and Wales to attend the incident at the Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre on 28 November; and whether he plans to recoup the cost from the company which runs the centre;
	(3)  what the cost was of co-ordinating the Gold Command Centre in connection with the Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre incident on 28 November.

Gerry Sutcliffe: About 512 Prison Service staff from across England and Wales attended Harmondsworth immigration removal centre after 28 November to assist in dealing with an incident. 42 staff from contracted prisons also attended.
	The cost of seconding Prison Service staff to attend the incident at Harmondsworth is approximately 84,000. The protocol for the provision of Prison Service assistance to immigration service removal centres states that
	the IRC contractor will be responsible for the payment of the Prison Service costs incurred in any incident.
	The cost of co-ordinating the Prison Service gold command suite is estimated at 12,000.
	All figures provided are provisional. It is not possible to provide accurate figures until the investigation has been completed.

Prisoner Education

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department has  (a) conducted and  (b) examined on the effect of prisoner education on re-offending rates; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 29 November 2006
	The Home Office has not published or evaluated any research regarding the effect of prisoner education on re-offending rates.
	The Home Office is currently undertaking a reconviction study based on information collected in three resettlement surveys undertaken in 2001, 2003 and 2004. The chief objective of the research is to increase understanding of links between resettlement factors (including education in custody) and reconviction, and it is planned to publish a report on the reconviction analysis before the end of this financial year.

Prisons

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison service employees are on long-term sick leave.

Gerry Sutcliffe: On 31 October 2006 there were 1,093 staff who were on long-term absence, of which 44 were contracted prison staff. (Information was not available for Ashfield and Dovegate prison). Absences of 20 working days or more are defined as long-term.
	Tackling high levels of sickness absence remains one of the service's top priorities. In the public sector, prison service absence rates have fallen significantly in recent years, from 14.71 days per member of staff in 2002-03, to 11.37 days so far in 2006a fall of over 20 per cent.

Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to carry out research into the feasibility of community prisons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 5 December 2006
	There are no plans at present to carry out research into the feasibility of community prisons.
	The Government remain committed to the importance of reducing re-offending by introducing offender management, which bridges the divide between custody and the community.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will list the inquiries conducted at HM Prison  (a) Wandsworth,  (b) Wormwood Scrubs,  (c) Pentonville and  (d) Belmarsh into allegations of prisoner abuse since 1998; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many inquiries were conducted at each London prison establishment into allegations of prisoner abuse in each year since 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 12 December 2006
	The Investigation Support Section, formed in July 2000, holds and monitors centrally all formally registered investigations as per Prison Service Order 1300 - Investigations. Therefore it is not possible to examine records before July 2000.
	The following table details the number of formal investigations into allegations of inappropriate treatment of individual prisoners by the Prison Service which have been conducted in the London area prisons since July 2000.
	In addition four reports have been prepared into the Management of Wormwood Scrubs and the treatment of prisoners there during the 1990s, and one review was carried out into allegations of racist behaviour by staff at Brixton in 2003.
	
		
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  Total 
			 Latchmere n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Holloway n/a n/a 3 4 5 5 3 3 2 24 
			 Feltham n/a n/a 1 26 11 12 7 7 4 68 
			 Brixton n/a n/a 6 11 15 5 6 9 11 63 
			 Pentonville n/a n/a 1 11 6 16 2 5 4 46 
			 Wormwood Scrubs n/a n/a 1 13 13 9 5 1 2 44 
			 Wandsworth n/a n/a 1 2 7 2 7 3 5 27 
			 Belmarsh n/a n/a 0 2 2 0 1 1 1 7 
			 Total n/a n/a 13 69 59 49 31 29 29 279

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints were received by the Prison Service's Professional Standards Unit concerning HM Prison Pentonville in each of the last 18 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Dealing with complaints is not within the remit of the professional standards unit, which leads and delivers the policy and procedures on professional standards issues. This includes processing intelligence on staff corruption in the Prison Service. However, when complaints are received they are passed to the appropriate line management for action. During the past 18 months no complaints have been received about Pentonville prison.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are  (a) under investigation and  (b) suspended from service at HM Prison Pentonville; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As at 11 December 2006 27 members of staff were under disciplinary investigations at HMP Pentonville, and 17 members of staff were suspended from duties.

Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the capacity of each prison was in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	Operational capacity for establishments is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by senior operational managers on the basis of operational judgement and experience.
	
		
			   Operational capacities 
			  Prisons  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Acklington 782 787 881 882 882 854 
			 Albany 446 446 526 526 526 528 
			 Altcourse 850 965 1,010 1,024 903 1,024 
			 Ashfield 400 400 400 300 360 380 
			 Ashwell 386 494 536 545 545 545 
			 Askham Grange 132 141 141 151 131 128 
			 Aylesbury 352 352 355 364 438 444 
			 Bedford 422 440 464 464 494 494 
			 Belmarsh 935 869 889 921 917 915 
			 Birmingham 850 900 930 1,400 1,402 1,450 
			 Blakenhurst 850 850 880 880 1,060 1,070 
			 Blantyre House 120 120 122 122 122 122 
			 Blundeston 424 424 464 464 464 464 
			 Brinsford 493 493 493 493 493 489 
			 Bristol 555 603 606 584 606 606 
			 Brixton 784 772 798 798 798 798 
			 Brockhill 166 167 167 167 148 150 
			 Bronzefield50 451 450 
			 Buckley Hall 390 390 320 331 385 385 
			 Bullingdon 921 933 963 963 963 963 
			 Bullwood Hall 180 184 184 184 171 184 
			 Camp Hill 545 545 545 585 585 585 
			 Canterbury 304 314 314 314 314 284 
			 Cardiff 638 669 669 669 754 754 
			 Castington 406 406 410 346 410 410 
			 Channings Wood 615 625 627 667 667 667 
			 Chelmsford 501 576 576 575 575 575 
			 Coldingley 370 378 390 390 390 392 
			 Cookham Wood 150 153 139 140 168 185 
			 Dartmoor 652 642 625 625 625 625 
			 Deerbolt 426 486 518 518 518 458 
			 Doncaster 1,111 1,111 1,120 1,120 1,120 1,120 
			 Dorchester 272 272 263 250 260 260 
			 Dovegate  800 860 860 800 860 
			 Dover 193 158 316 316 314 263 
			 Downview 343 292 224 230 251 347 
			 Drake Hall 267 304 315 315 315 315 
			 Durham 737 730 728 748 725 921 
			 East Sutton Park 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Eastwood Park 324 328 309 346 346 362 
			 Highpoint Nth  300 310 310 160 371 
			 Elmley 950 955 985 985 985 985 
			 Erlestoke 326 326 386 426 426 426 
			 Everthorpe 470 386 469 465 469 681 
			 Exeter 535 533 533 527 533 533 
			 Featherstone 597 611 615 615 615 615 
			 Feltham 729 715 748 761 761 764 
			 Ford 501 541 541 541 541 541 
			 Forest Bank 800 1,040 1,040 1,064 1,040 1,064 
			 Foston Hall 168 219 235 235 223 274 
			 Frankland 707 638 653 692 734 734 
			 Full Sutton 607 607 607 608 608 588 
			 Garth 653 667 667 667 667 619 
			 Gartree 282 289 276 404 440 476 
			 Glen Parva 802 802 808 808 808 808 
			 Gloucester 281 330 324 328 313 323 
			 Grendon 201 231 231 231 235 235 
			 Guys Marsh 524 524 570 570 570 578 
			 Haslar 160 160 163 123 160 160 
			 Haverigg 554 564 564 564 546 568 
			 Hewell Grange 187 191 178 178 176 187 
			 Highdown 714 714 734 750 736 747 
			 Highpoint Sth 852 610 696 816 800 816 
			 Hindley 558 559 559 539 455 455 
			 Hollesley Bay 399 248 329 330 330 330 
			 Holloway 483 483 497 495 485 493 
			 Holme House 971 995 995 994 994 994 
			 Hull 633 653 1,031 1,071 1,071 1,000 
			 Huntercombe 368 352 350 368 368 368 
			 Kingston 193 197 190 140 196 194 
			 Kirkham 577 561 551 590 590 570 
			 Kirklevington 183 183 223 223 223 223 
			 Lancaster 240 244 244 232 244 243 
			 Lancaster Farms 536 546 526 527 527 527 
			 Latchmere House 193 192 196 198 207 207 
			 Leeds 1,254 1,254 1,254 1,254 1,254 1,150 
			 Leicester 361 371 385 385 355 385 
			 Lewes 496 546 517 526 545 558 
			 Leyhill 422 432 512 512 508 512 
			 Lincoln 552 550 481 490 490 490 
			 Lindholme 613 761 761 719 849 849 
			 Littlehey 648 660 666 706 706 706 
			 Liverpool 1,510 1,504 1,480 1,476 1,438 1,377 
			 Long Lartin 523 441 442 442 444 444 
			 Low Newton 285 296 316 396 396 310 
			 Lowdham Grange 500 524 524 524 500 524 
			 Maidstone 393 447 548 548 548 589 
			 Manchester 1,163 1,257 1,269 1,269 1,269 1,269 
			 Moorland 779 779 779 779 779 791 
			 Moorland Open/ 180 180 260 260 260 260 
			 Morton Hall 192 196 356 392 392 392 
			 Mount 745 760 760 760 708 720 
			 New Hall 386 396 426 426 426 443 
			 North Sea Camp 208 267 307 307 306 306 
			 Northallerton 264 254 254 254 209 248 
			 Nottingham 523 510 550 510 510 510 
			 Onley 640 580 580 580 520 580 
			 Parc 948 968 1,028 1,028 1,036 1,036 
			 Parkhurst 517 527 507 507 507 507 
			 Pentonville 1,175 1,175 1,205 1,205 1,189 1,127 
			 Peterborough 525 840 
			 Portland 542 542 456 476 398 524 
			 Prescoed 128 128 170 170 170 170 
			 Preston 602 630 664 616 620 690 
			 Ranby 779 778 804 858 1,038 1,038 
			 Reading 241 289 289 289 297 297 
			 Risley 837 835 1,083 1,073 1,073 1,073 
			 Rochester 444 164 180 319 392 392 
			 Rye Hill 600 660 664 664 600 600 
			 Send 220 220 220 217 218 218 
			 Shepton Mallet 174 189 189 189 186 189 
			 Shrewsbury 342 342 350 350 300 340 
			 Spring Hill 256 256 336 336 314 325 
			 Stafford 627 640 640 680 680 676 
			 Standford Hill 384 384 464 464 464 464 
			 Stocken 582 582 622 622 622 622 
			 Stoke Heath 564 688 688 690 690 690 
			 Styal 455 463 468 457 455 469 
			 Sudbury 519 519 559 559 571 571 
			 Swaleside 775 777 777 777 778 778 
			 Swansea 201 366 368 348 425 425 
			 Swinfen Hall 319 320 320 440 590 620 
			 Thorn Cross 316 316 316 316 316 321 
			 Usk 220 220 242 250 250 250 
			 Verne 577 587 587 587 587 587 
			 Wakefield 586 581 571 565 565 751 
			 Wandsworth 1,371 1,461 1,461 1,441 1,416 1,459 
			 Warren Hill  214 220 222 222 222 
			 Wayland 648 660 706 706 709 709 
			 Wealstun 632 632 640 812 892 907 
			 Weare 400 400 400 396 398  
			 Wellingborough 518 526 526 526 548 614 
			 Werrington 140 134 148 148 148 162 
			 Wetherby 360 360 360 324 360 363 
			 Whatton 275 280 360 360 360 761 
			 Whitemoor 408 444 539 456 458 458 
			 Winchester 630 637 637 655 695 697 
			 Wolds 405 410 360 360 350 300 
			 Woodhill 775 773 789 789 762 762 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 987 1,192 1,229 1,239 1,239 1,239 
			 Wymott 805 821 866 1,028 1,046 1,046 
		
	
	The information provided is taken from figures for June of each year.

Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the prison population was of each prison in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the number of prisoners held in each prison establishment in England and Wales as at 30 June 2002-06 can be found at the following listed weblinks:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/prisjun02.pdf (table 3)
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/prisjun03.pdf (table 3)
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/prisjun04.pdf (table 4)
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/prisjun05.pdf (table 4)
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/prisjun06.pdf (table 4)
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual, the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Prisons

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) foreign nationals, broken down by nationality and  (b) UK citizens were held in each prison in Kent on 30 November 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the number of prisoners held in prison establishments, broken down by  (a) foreign nationals and  (b) UK citizens, in Kent at the end of October 2006 can be found in the following table. This is the latest date for which information is available.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.
	
		
			  Population in prison establishments in Kent( 1 ) by nationality and establishment, England and Wales 31 October( 2)  2006 
			   Foreign nationals( 3)  British nationals 
			 Blantyre House (4) 123 
			 CookhamWood 38 143 
			 Canterbury 243 27 
			 Standford Hill 34 412 
			 East Sutton Park  93 
			 Elmley 201 782 
			 Maidstone 131 451 
			 Rochester 64 321 
			 Swaleside 183 571 
			 (1) Not including Dover Immigration Removal Centre (2) Latest data available (3) 26 prisoners across Kent had unrecorded nationality (4) 10 prisoners or fewer

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when the local drug strategy at HM Prison Pentonville was last updated; and if he will place a copy in the Library;
	(2)  what measures have been taken at HM Prison Pentonville to reduce the drug supply over the last 18 months; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Local Drug Strategy for HMP Pentonville was last updated on 22 November 2006, is a restricted document, and it is not appropriate for public disclosure.
	The reduction in the supply of drugs into HMP Pentonville continues to be pursued in a number of ways by the Drug Strategy Team and the Security Department at the establishment. It would not be appropriate for operational reasons to give details of the strategies currently in place.

Probation Boards

Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there will be a requirement for  (a) magistrates,  (b) local councillors,  (c) members of the local police authority and  (d) members of the local health authority to be members of probation boards or trusts.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is now no requirement for magistrates or local councillors to sit on probation boards. This follows amendments to Local Probation Boards (Appointment) Regulations 2000 and Local Probation Boards Regulations 2001 from 1 November 2006. There has never been a requirement for members of the local police authority or members of the local health authority to be members of probation boards. It is not intended that any such requirements will apply to probation trusts.

Probation Service

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the  (a) benefits and  (b) disadvantages of outsourcing the functions of the probation service.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing the functions of the probation service were assessed in the light of experience gained following the contracting-out of areas of activity on the custodial side for the National Offender Management Service. Estimated efficiency savings were modelled in the range of 3.5 per cent. to 8.5 per cent., in line with the savings delivered after those earlier contracting-out exercises. The financial disadvantages of outsourcing, arising from additional tendering and contract management costs, were outweighed by the estimated savings.

Probation Service

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the caseload is of the National Probation Service;
	(2)  how many people are being supervised by the National Probation Service; and how many offenders have been allocated to each tier under the National Offender Management model.

Gerry Sutcliffe: At the end of December 2005, probation areas reported 224,094 people under their supervision (i.e. their caseload). The number of offenders supervised in the community (i.e. excluding those still in custody) was 162,005. The number of these offenders allocated to each tier under the National Offender Management model is shown in the following table. In December 2005, the tiering concept was only being applied to those supervised in the community.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figure may not be accurate to that level.
	
		
			  Persons supervised by the Probation Service at 31 December 2005, by supervision tier 
			   Number 
			 Tier 1 47,011 
			 Tier 2 23,824 
			 Tier 3 36,455 
			 Tier 4 43,474 
			 Tier not stated 11,241 
			 Total 162,005 
			  Source:  These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and so, although shown to the last individual, the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Probation Service

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the role of the National Offender Manager (Wales) in the delivery of the Probation Service in Wales.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 5 December 2006
	The Director of Commissioning regularly reviews the performance and effectiveness of all the NOMS commissioners, including the Director of Offender Management, Wales. The effectiveness of what commissioners can achieve in relation to probation performance is limited until legislation is in place that will enable commissioners to contract with other providers where underperformance is not addressed sufficiently by a current provider.
	The reviews of commissioner effectiveness include specific attention to probation area performance, and the degree to which probation areas are delivering the SLA requirements. Commissioning remains under development in NOMS and commissioners have, to date, had limited scope to re-specify services to align them more closely to identified needs. In parallel with commissioners reviewing performance against the SLAs, the National Probation Directorate (NPD) continues to have a line-management function in respect of probation Chief Officers.
	The NPD publishes quarterly performance reports, many elements of which are also addressed in the SLAs between probation areas and commissioners. The most recent report includes positive commentary from the National Probation Director reinforcing the longer- term trend of overall probation performance improvement nationally. The report includes a 'weighted score card', and a 'zero line' above which probation areas are generally meeting expectations, and below which they are not. For Wales the current position is that three areas are above the 'zero line' and one, North Wales, is not.

Proscribed Terrorist Organisations

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre is taking to monitor use of internet by proscribed groups.

Tony McNulty: The role of the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) is to offer advice to organisations in the CNI about how to protect themselves from electronic attack from a variety of sources of threat. It is the role of other organisations to investigate proscribed groups.

Russian Dissidents

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Russian dissidents are receiving close protection from English and Welsh police forces.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not comment on individuals' personal protective security issues.

Sentence Tariffs

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average sentence tariff was of  (a) a burglar,  (b) an armed robber,  (c) a cause of aggravated assault and  (d) a drug dealer in the last period for which figures are available; and what it was in 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the average custodial sentence length imposed for these offences in England and Wales for the years 1997 and 2005 is shown in the table. Also shown are the total number of persons receiving immediate custodial sentences for these offences and those who received life or indeterminate sentences.
	The offenders receiving the new indeterminate sentences are not included in the average sentence length calculation. So the average sentences for robbery in 1997 and 2005 are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Persons sentenced to immediate custody and average custodial sentence length( 1)  for certain offences, England and Wales, 1997 and 2005 
			  Offence  Year  Persons sentenced to immediate custody  Of which: sentenced to life or indeterminate sentence  Average custodial sentence length( 1)  (months) 
			 Burglary 1997 14,338  15.8 
			  2005 9,550 14 17.4 
			  
			 Robbery(2) 1997 4,008 4 39.1 
			  2005 4,407 201 35.0 
			  
			 Grievous bodily harm with intent 1997 1,359 12 44.1 
			  2005 1,516 124 48.6 
			  
			 Racially or religiously aggravated assault(3) (4)1999 54  5.7 
			  2005 287 1 8.5 
			  
			 Drug dealing(5) 1997 5,405 1 26.4 
			  2005 5,397 1 36.0 
			 (1 )Excluding life and indeterminate sentences. Offenders receiving an indeterminate sentence for public protection for a serious offence would previously have been included in the average custodial sentence length and are no longer. This may result in a decrease in average custodial sentence lengths. (2 )Figures cover all robbery offencesarmed robbery cannot be separately identified. (3 )Includes racially or religiously aggravated common assault and assaults occasioning actual bodily harm. (4 )Offences introduced by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, so 1999, first full year, shown. (5 )Includes the offences of supplying or offering to supply (or being concerned in supplying or offering to supply) or having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply (all drug types).  Notes: Although care is taken in collating and analysing the returns used to compile these figures, the data are of necessity subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, although figures are shown to the last digit in order to provide a comprehensive record of the information collected, they are not necessarily accurate to the last digit shown.  Source: RDS-NOMS, Home Office

Surveillance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety will write to the hon. Member for West Bromwich, East as promised in the answer of 8 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1658W, on covert surveillance.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 5 December 2006
	I replied to the hon. Member on 11 December.

Telephone Intercept Evidence

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the admissibility in court of telephone intercept evidence collected by foreign law enforcement agencies.

John Reid: None.

Terrorism

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are being detained without charge under suspicion of terrorist activities.

Tony McNulty: We have taken the use of the word detained to include those individuals arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, those arrested under other legislation where the investigation is treated as terrorist- related, detentions under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 Part 4 powers and detentions under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
	Statistics on arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000 are compiled from 11 September 2001. From this date to 30 September 2006, there have been 1,113 arrests under the Terrorism Act 2000. There were also 27 arrests under legislation other than the Terrorism Act, where the investigation was conducted as a terrorist investigation.
	It should be noted that some individuals arrested under the Terrorism Act are subsequently released without charge or are subject to further action which is not connected with suspicion of involvement in terrorism. It would therefore be inaccurate to state that all those arrested remain 'terrorist suspects'.
	17 people were certified under part 4 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (ATCSA) 2001. Of these, 16 were certified and detained, and one was certified but detained under other powers.
	In addition there are detention powers under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, but statistics on persons detained under these powers are not held in the form requested.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of terrorist crimes in the last 10-year period for which information is available.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not have figures for individuals convicted under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts broken down into years. However, between 22 March 1984 and 18 February 2001, 312 individuals were convicted under the Act and 241 were convicted under other legislation.
	Statistics compiled from police records show that from 11 September 2001 to 30 September 2006, 38 people were convicted under the Terrorism Act and 176 individuals were convicted under other legislation.
	
		
			  Terrorism Act 2000 
			   Number of persons convicted under the Act  Number of persons convicted under other legislation 
			 2001(1) 3 5 
			 2002 10 48 
			 2003 11 66 
			 2004 2 25 
			 2005 8 25 
			 2006(2) 4 7 
			 (1) This is from 11 September 2001. (2) This is up to 30 September 2006.

Together Action Areas

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been provided to the Together Action Areas designated in October 2004; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the project in each of the designated areas.

John Reid: Since 2004, 7.8 million has been allocated to the 60 'Together' Trailblazer and Action Areas to use as an extra front-line resource to tackle antisocial behaviour.
	This is in addition to the 25,000 per annum which has been provided to every Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership in England and Wales for an antisocial behaviour co-ordinator to prioritise and drive forward action on local issues.
	The National Audit Office's Value for Money Report, 'Tackling Antisocial Behaviour' published on 7 December 2006, considered the effectiveness of this Government's strategy to tackle antisocial behaviour, including that pursued in Trailblazer and Action Areas. We welcome the National Audit Office's conclusions that our twin-track approach of support and sanction is effective. The findings show that the majority of people surveyed who have received an antisocial behaviour intervention have not re-engaged in antisocial behaviour.
	The effectiveness of action in Trailblazer and Action Areas has also been identified through the British Crime Survey (2002-03 and 2004-05) which shows that between 2002 and 2005, the percentage of people perceiving there to be high levels of antisocial behaviour in their area fell at a greater rate in Trailblazer and Action Areas (from 25 per cent. to 19 per cent.) than in other areas (from 19 per cent. to 16 per cent.) over the same period. Similarly, the Recorded Crime Statistics for 2003-04 and 2004-05 also show that the fall in antisocial behaviour-related forms of criminal damage in the 60 areas, for example graffiti, was above the national average.

VAT Fraud

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he signed the treaty with Dubai on co-operation in combating VAT fraud.

Joan Ryan: The Home Secretary signed Treaties on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and Extradition between the UK and the United Arab Emirates on 6 December 2006. The treaties will provide the necessary legal basis for closer co-operation between our states in the fight against terrorism and organised crime, including VAT fraud.

Visa Information Service

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the proposed EU legislation for the development of the Visa Information Service; and what its legal base is.

Joan Ryan: A draft EU regulation (Com (2004) 835 Final) further developing the Visa Information System (VIS) is currently under negotiation. Once adopted, it will define the detailed operation of the VIS system, including the categories of data that will be stored and the purposes for which data should be entered.
	Consistent with its Schengen position, the UK will not participate in this regulation.
	The draft regulation is based on Article 62 (2)(b)(ii) and Article 66 of the treaty establishing the European Community.

Wheel Clamping

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the number of individuals (including operators and managers)  (a) operating as wheel clampers and  (b) holding a valid Security Industry Authority vehicle immobiliser's licence; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The SIA's estimates, based on the best available information, suggested the total licensable Vehicle Immobilising (VI) population to be 1,200. The SIA publishes full statistical details of licensable sectors on its website at
	http://www.the-sia.org.uk/home/licensing/stats_2.htm.
	 (b) As of 6 December the SIA had received 2,366 applications for VI licences. 1,928 licences have been granted and 119 refused. The number of granted licences also includes renewals.

Young Offenders

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) juvenile and  (b) young adult offenders were in sustainable employment (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) 12 months after being released from secure accommodation in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Home Office does not collect any data on numbers of juvenile and young adult offenders in sustainable employment following release from secure accommodation, and we are therefore unable to supply data in answer to this question.

Youth Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of each type of crime committed by youths between 16 and 21 years there were in Essex in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally in the recorded crime statistics.

HEALTH

Adolescent Mental Health Units

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost is per night of a stay in an  (a) NHS inpatient adolescent mental health unit and  (b) independent sector inpatient adolescent mental health unit.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Agency Staff

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses from agencies were used by the NHS in each English region in each year since 2000; and what the costs were for each region in each year.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect agency staff numbers. However, spend data for trusts and primary care trusts are available in the table. Data for 2004-05 excludes foundation trusts.
	
		
			  Non-NHS medical spend and spend on nursing, midwifery and health visiting by SHA and financial year 
			2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			  SHA code  SHA name  Medical  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting  Medical  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting  Medical  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting 
			 Q30 North East 4,574,486 3,566,421 5,227,714 5,823,175 8,646,713 7,541,577 
			 Q31 North West 15,759,206 30,995,987 21,013,273 47,295,661 29,302,649 60,560,686 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and the Humber 12,645,774 13,346,687 13,853,437 30,004,971 21,380,739 21,167,945 
			 Q33 East Midlands 7,073,519 12,166,245 11,550,227 16,002,043 17,772,192 20,632,496 
			 Q34 West Midlands 15,025,840 40,143,257 21,606,443 48,663,556 27,958,423 52,833,559 
			 Q35 East of England 15,853,601 42,387,989 23,073,463 50,578,689 29,778,214 54,395,302 
			 Q36 London 32,140,831 200,840,139 46,710,105 229,287,810 66,810,637 220,760,195 
			 Q37 South East Coast 15,683,948 31,624,469 23,038,936 45,565,768 35,148,329 57,689,254 
			 Q38 South Central 8,328,922 33,218,475 14,088,179 35,187,004 20,511,155 38,725,168 
			 Q39 South West 10,654,980 25,510,513 15,745,119 45,036,721 21,147,702 55,411,469 
			  England total 137,741,107 433,800,182 195,906,896 553,445,398 278,456,753 589,717,651 
		
	
	
		
			2003-04  2004-05 
			  SHA code  SHA name  Medical  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting  Medical  Nursing, midwifery and health visiting 
			 Q30 North East 10,308,303 8,367,873 13,073,000 7,161,000 
			 Q31 North West 39,929,044 45,171,069 43,832,000 36,572,000 
			 Q32 Yorkshire and the Humber 36,894,785 21,307,744 26,891,000 16,792,000 
			 Q33 East Midlands 25,201,875 27,567,730 22,741,000 21,243,000 
			 Q34 West Midlands 36,826,114 46,371,133 31,424,000 37,445,000 
			 Q35 East of England 37,414,207 49,855,995 41,395,000 37,865,000 
			 Q36 London 73,249,012 186,424,809 66,217,000 141,091,000 
			 Q37 South East Coast 38,876,264 48,974,866 34,134,000 36,319,000 
			 Q38 South Central 22,443,449 46,033,805 23,586,000 29,397,000 
			 Q39 South West 24,174,782 44,596,081 23,750,000 36,110,000 
			  England total 345,317,835 524,671,105 327,043,000 399,995,000

Alcohol Misuse

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many finished consultant episodes relating to alcohol there were in each strategic health authority area in England in each year between 1997-98 and 2005-06, broken down by  (a) patients aged under 18 years and  (b) patients aged 18 years and over;
	(2)  how many admissions to hospitals via accident and emergency departments in each strategic health authority area had an alcohol-related diagnosis in each year between 1997-98 and 2005-06, broken down by  (a) those aged 18 years and over and  (b) those aged under 18 years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Alzheimer's

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the savings to the NHS budget that are likely to be made following the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease; what savings are estimated to be made in each primary care trust; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence estimated that there will be a reduction worth perhaps 10 million in the overall use of Alzheimer's drugs as a result of its revised appraisal.
	No estimate has been made on savings in each primary care trust.

Anti-Depressants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for anti-depressants were made for children in 2005-06; and for how many patients these prescriptions were written.

Ivan Lewis: In 2005-06 220,000 prescriptions for anti-depressants were issued for children aged under 16 and those aged 16 to 18 in full-time education. We do not collect information on the number of children in respect of which these prescriptions were issued.
	Not all the prescriptions will have been to treat depression as some of these drugs are also used to treat disorders such as nocturnal enuresis, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and phobic states.

Audiology Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 789W, on audiology services, what steps she plans to take to ensure that local commissioners use funding procured through the independent sector treatment centre programme for audiology procurement; and what factors were taken into account when deciding that the funding for additional audiology pathways was not to be ring-fenced.

Ivan Lewis: The Department in conjunction with strategic health authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs) is currently scoping audiology requirements locally. PCTs will agree local demand for audiology services and confirm schemes are affordable within the context of their own resources before the procurement is advertised. This will ensure that there is local support and a real capacity requirement for additional audiology services.
	Funding allocations are made direct to PCTs to put resources and responsibilities in the hands of front-line services. Individual PCTs are best placed to take the decisions on the commissioning of health care services, including audiology, for their local populations based on their knowledge of the local community.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of children in England  (a) diagnosed and  (b) undiagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder.

Ivan Lewis: In March 2001 the Department commissioned the Medical Research Council (MRC) to produce a report on the prevalence, incidence and causes of autism. This was published in December 2001 and provides an authoritative overview of the current state of knowledge on the prevalence, incidence and causes of autism.
	The report considers recent studies which suggest a prevalence of autism in young children of approximately 60 per 10,000 of the population and finds that much of the headline rise can be accounted for by changes in diagnostic practice and public awareness. It is available on the MRC website at:
	http://www.mrc.ac.uk/pdf-autism-report.pdf.
	We have not made an estimate of the number of children in England undiagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder.

Birth Rates

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what projections she has made of the number of births in  (a) Worthing,  (b) Adur and  (c) West Sussex in each of the next 10 years;
	(2)  what projections she has made of the number of births at Worthing Hospital in each of the next five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Breast Cancer

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many breast cancer screenings took place in Surrey Heath in each year from 1997 to 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is available only at primary care trust (PCT) level, and only from 2002 onwards. The following table contains details of the number of women aged between 53 and 64 screened under the breast cancer screening programme for each of the five former PCTs in Surrey from 2002 to 2005:
	
		
			  Breast screening programme: number of women screened aged 53 to 64 for PCTs in Surrey as at 31 March each specified year 
			  Number 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey 14,282 14,584 15,454 15,518 
			 East Surrey 7,994 8,005 8,353 8,599 
			 Guilford and Waverley 12,827 13,016 12,987 14,074 
			 North Surrey 9,138 9,952 10,638 11,054 
			 Woking and Surrey Heath 8,886 10,317 9,863 11,068 
			  Notes:  1. Surrey PCT was formed in 2006 from the existing five PCTs as shown above.  2. PCT level data are unavailable previous to 2002.  3. Data are only recorded only for screening on women aged 53 to 64.   Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care KC53 return.

Breast Cancer

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on delays to breast cancer screening services at the Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal NHS Hospital Trust.

Rosie Winterton: The average intervals between screenings for breast cancer by local screening units is not collected centrally. However, national health service cancer screening programmes requested data from the NHS breast screening programme on the percentage of local screening units achieving the 36-month national standard between screens for quarter four of 2005-06, i.e. January to March 2006.
	In England, 60 per cent. of women were re-screened within the 36-month national standard. 82 per cent. of women were re-screened within 38 months.
	The NHS cancer plan, published in 2000, stated that we would extend invitations for breast screening to women aged 65 to 70 and introduce two-view mammography at all screening rounds. Thanks to the efforts of the staff in the screening programme, these targets have now been achieved in all local breast screening units. The expansion is already showing an effect, with nearly 12,000 cancers diagnosed by the programme in 2004-05, an increase of 40 per cent. on 2001 when the expansion began.
	However, the changes together represent a 40 per cent. increase in the workload of the programme. We are aware that this has had an impact on some services maintaining the three-year interval for screening and we are taking steps to bring all screening intervals back to three years.
	The Department cancer programme board, chaired by the National Cancer Director Professor Mike Richards, has taken a particular interest in this area. The board is considering a course of action with the support of the Department's recovery and support unit.

Cancer Care

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions officials in her Department have had with officials in the Department for Work and Pensions on the provision of advice on financial support for cancer patients in NHS hospitals.

Rosie Winterton: Providing cancer patients with information on benefits is an important issue and the Department of Health has been working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to explore options for publicising information about benefits, including the development of information prescriptions for people with cancer. This includes signposting people with cancer to information about benefits through helplines and website addresses on information prescriptions. Information prescriptions for people with cancer will begin piloting in early 2007.
	Additionally we have arranged for information to appear on the Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS) website with links to the DWP and Disability and Carers Service (DCS) web pages to help provide PALS workers with information on benefits so as to better advise patients.

Cancer Treatment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the pilot studies for information prescriptions for prostate cancer patients will be completed.

Rosie Winterton: Information prescriptions pilots will take place initially in the areas of cancer, mental health and vulnerable older people. The pilots for cancer will focus on several conditions and are not particular to prostate cancer. The initiative has funding of 1.35 million. The cancer pilots are being developed in partnership with Macmillan and Cancerbackup and are expected to begin in December 2006.

Cancer and Heart Disease

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 439W-40W, on cancer/heart disease (mortality rates), if she will estimate how many lives were saved by the reduction in  (a) cancer and  (b) cardiovascular disease mortality rates between 1989 and 1996.

Rosie Winterton: 'Lives saved' is an assessment of the cumulative effect of year-on-year reductions to the numbers of deaths in a specific age group and from a specific cause of death. In this case, it relates to deaths from circulatory disease and cancer at ages under 75.
	It is calculated by subtracting from the number of deaths that occurred in the first year of the period, the number of deaths registered in each subsequent year, and then totalling the differences.
	An estimate of the 'lives saved' over the time period requested is as follows:
	
		
			  'Lives saved' at ages under 75 
			   Persons aged under 75 
			  Lives saved  Circulatory Disease (100-199)  Neoplasms (C00-C97) 
			 1989-96 (seven years) 64,000 20,000

Care Contracts: Torbay

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to assess the service provided by the three care companies recently awarded five-year care contracts for the provision of services for vulnerable people in Torbay; how regularly she plans to do so; and what notice clauses there are in the contracts should any of the three companies default on the provision of services which they have contracted to provide.

Ivan Lewis: The provision of services in Torbay is a matter for the local national health service. However, I am informed by NHS South West that the three providers are Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) registered and are therefore subject to external monitoring.
	I am also informed by NHS South West that the contracts between the providers and Torbay Care Trust include termination clauses relating to failure to deliver care or failure to act in accordance with the contract, in line with the trust's normal contract guidelines.

Care Homes

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on care home fees.

Ivan Lewis: In the year 1 December 2005 to 30 November 2006, there have been 14 parliamentary questions, 191 letters from hon. Members, 433 letters from organisations and the public, and 85 e-mails to the Department about care home fees and charges. The issues raised include fees paid by local authorities to care homes, the fees paid by service users to care homes, top-up fees and other issues related to charging and fees.

Chaplains

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many publicly-funded full-time equivalent chaplaincy staff there were in the NHS in 2005-06, broken down by religion; what the cost was of chaplaincy staff in 2005-06; what estimate she has made of the costs in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; and whether she has made an assessment of the merits of providing equivalent pastoral support for those who are not religious and who may not wish to receive such support from a religious chaplain.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect data on national health service hospital chaplaincy.
	The Department remains committed to the guidance NHS Chaplaincy: Meeting the Religious and Spiritual Needs of Patients and Staff issued to NHS trusts in November 2003 about patients' access to spiritual care, irrespective of their faith or beliefs.
	NHS trusts are responsible for delivering religious and spiritual care in a way that meets the diverse needs of their patients. How they do so is a matter for local determination, particularly as these arrangements vary considerably. It is not for Ministers to intervene in these matters.

Choose and Book Software

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many referrals have been made from general practitioner surgeries  (a) directly and  (b) indirectly to referral management centres using choose and book software.

Ivan Lewis: The information is not available centrally.

Chronic Disability

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to create centres of excellence for patients with chronic disability in East Sussex.

Ivan Lewis: I am informed by NHS South East Coast that the primary care trusts in East Sussex are currently discussing plans to create a centre of excellence for patients with chronic disability in East Sussex as part of the Creating an NHS Fit for the Future programme.

Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services: Lancashire and Cumbria

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timescale is for the introduction of clinical assessment and treatment support services in Lancashire and Cumbria.

Ivan Lewis: Services are expected to commence from mid 2007.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients have received cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in each of the last five years; how many finished episodes of CBT took place in each of the last five years; how many CBT practitioners are registered; and how many NHS staff are receiving training in CBT;
	(2)  what percentage of mental health patients have received talking therapy in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not centrally available in the requested format. That said, we have embarked on a 3.7 million programme, as set out in our 2005 manifesto and in the 'Our Health, Our Care, Our Say' White Paper to investigate the most effective way of providing quick and easy access to talking therapies in the community. We will also be undertaking work to enable the statutory regulation for those delivering psychological therapies, which in turn will improve the clinical governance for psychological services and ensure the delivery of clinically effective interventions.

Communications Masts

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the health effects surrounding the siting of (i) mobile telephone and (ii) other communications masts.

Caroline Flint: Measurements have consistently shown that radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field exposures surrounding mobile phone masts (base stations) are very much lower than the international guidelines (www.ofcom.org.uk and www.hpa.org.uk/ radiation). The guidelines are based on a thorough review of published scientific literature. They apply to mobile phone masts, other communications masts and all exposures to electromagnetic fields irrespective of their source. The expert authorities keep the guidelines continually under review.
	Nevertheless, in response to continued concern, the mobile telecommunications and health research (MTHR) programme, jointly funded by Government and industry, has supported a number of studies investigating the potential health effects of (RF) mobile phone technology below the guideline levels. Most of the studies relate to mobile phone exposures which are considerably higher than base station exposures albeit still below the guidelines.
	Individual studies under the MTHR programme relating directly to base stations include a study of cancer incidence in early childhood near mobile phone base stations being carried out at Imperial College London and a study of symptoms associated with RF electromagnetic field exposure being carried out at the University of Essex. A description of all the individual studies in the MTHR programme can be found on its website:
	www.mthr.org.uk.
	Research on the potential health effects from mobile phone technology is evaluated periodically by the Health Protection Agency's Radiation Protection Division. The report entitled Mobile Phones and Health 2004, available on the HPA website (www.hpa.org.uk/radiation), noted that there are continuing concerns about the impact of base stations on health and well-being despite the current evidence which shows that exposures of individuals are likely to be only a small fraction of those from phones.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letter of 25 October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. E. Mooney.

Ivan Lewis: I apologise for the delay in replying to this letter. Unfortunately, we have no record of receiving it in the first instance.
	We have now received a copy from the right hon. Member and will provide a reply shortly.

Delayed Discharges

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were in each NHS trust in London in each of the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Delayed transfers of care from acute beds, London, November 2005 to October 2006 
			   2005  2006 
			  Organisation  November  December  January  February  March  April 
			 London 377 329 383 327 364 361 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Barking. Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 30 30 39 34 29 22 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 28 23 38 25 34 25 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust 13 5 4 1 9 5 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 2 3 2 5 4 5 
			 Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Camden PCT 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Central and North West London Mental Health Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 7 6 4 6 10 9 
			 Croydon Community NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 1 6 2 7 4 9 
			 East London and The City Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust 26 30 32 24 34 37 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust 6 3 3 3 1 4 
			 Harrow PCT 15 18 17 14 15 16 
			 Homerton Hospital NHS Trust 1 2 6 4 6 5 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 4 6 3 9 8 4 
			 Kingston and District Community NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 30 23 19 14 17 10 
			 Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 10 7 9 9 6 4 
			 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 43 31 40 23 12 22 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 5 4 1 1 1 3 
			 North East London Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust 7 10 18 18 24 17 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 24 21 24 21 29 31 
			 Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 16 9 11 14 16 14 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 10 6 8 7 5 6 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital 0 0 0 0 3 0 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 12 14 17 16 11 12 
			 St Mary's Hospital NHS Trust 4 6 11 7 11 7 
			 SW London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Teddington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 The Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 18 11 16 19 16 13 
			 The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 19 21 10 7 15 15 
			 The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 7 5 5 3 4 6 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Trust 0 1 6 8 5 4 
			 Wandsworth PCT 0 0 0 0 0 14 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Middlesex University NHS Trust 2 0 3 0 0 8 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 27 24 22 14 20 14 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 10 4 13 14 15 20 
		
	
	
		
			   2006 
			   May  June  July  August  September  October 
			 London 346 331 329 252 395 306 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 0 0 2 4 0 0 
			 Barking. Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust 27 32 25 25 34 37 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 19 15 21 21 32 25 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 45 0 37 17 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust 7 11 7 4 11 16 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 5 4 4 9 4 6 
			 Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Camden PCT 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Central and North West London Mental Health Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 1 6 4 9 7 3 
			 Croydon Community NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust 6 9 6 4 16 11 
			 East London and The City Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust 32 26 24 11 22 11 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust 2 1 2 1 2 2 
			 Harrow PCT 8 12 0 0 0 0 
			 Homerton Hospital NHS Trust 5 4 6 3 2 5 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 7 3 6 5 3 3 
			 Kingston and District Community NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust 18 21 13 20 22 17 
			 Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 5 4 1 12 3 6 
			 London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust 27 24 8 10 0 11 
			 Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust 2 8 2 8 8 4 
			 North East London Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust 14 6 6 7 9 8 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 21 21 23 16 29 22 
			 Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 16 12 16 0 20 15 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 5 6 6 5 6 3 
			 Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital 1 2 1 1 2 0 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 0 0 0 0 42 5 
			 St George's Healthcare NHS Trust 17 18 15 14 20 15 
			 St Mary's Hospital NHS Trust 8 11 15 14 8 6 
			 SW London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Teddington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 The Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust 16 19 24 15 14 11 
			 The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust 11 10 8 12 8 12 
			 The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 10 8 3 2 3 6 
			 University College London Hospitals NHS Trust 3 2 1 1 2 3 
			 Wandsworth PCT 13 10 7 7 4 7 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 West Middlesex University NHS Trust 6 3 9 0 2 1 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust 19 10 9 10 14 9 
			 Whittington Hospital NHS Trust 15 13 10 1 9 9 
			  Note:  The table includes four PCTs which had delayed transfers of care.  Source: Department of Health, SitReps

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 6 December 2006,  Official Report, column 548W, on dentistry, if she will list the  (a) most common reasons for primary care trust income being below expected levels and  (b) options available to trusts in taking corrective action.

Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to review with dentists the potential factors affecting levels of patient charge income. It is not possible to assess at national level the precise relative importance of different factors. However, relevant factors may include the annual number of units of dental activity commissioned by PCTs, the time needed for new dental services to be commissioned and come into operation, the timeliness of the reports submitted by dentists on completed courses of treatment, changes in the mix of charge-paying and charge exempt patients treated, and the incidence of certain charge-free courses of treatment for patients who would normally pay charges. Variations in these and other factors may either reduce or increase the income from patient charges from one year to the next.
	Any action taken by PCTs and dentists will depend on the nature of the factors relevant at local level. Action might, however, include improving the timeliness of reporting, reviewing practice protocols for accepting new patients, and discussing with providers the reasons for higher than expected levels of charge-free treatments.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists  (a) met,  (b) did not meet and  (c) exceeded their mid-year target for delivery of 30 per cent. of their units of dental activity as at 30 September, broken down by primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: The contracts between dentists and primary care trusts provide for an agreed annual level of activity. Providers of dental services are, however, required to participate in a mid-year review if the provider has provided less than 30 per cent. of the annual service level between 1 April and 30 September.
	It was for primary care trusts to assess whether a mid-year review was required. Primary care trusts made a local assessment of progress against annual service levels, taking into account data from the national health service business services authorities on the courses of treatment for which data had been processed and any additional data available locally. A comparable analysis at national level could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 442W, on dentistry, when she expects to be able to estimate with certainty the full levels of income likely to be raised this year from patient charge revenue from NHS dental services.

Rosie Winterton: No definitive estimate of patient charge revenue is possible ahead of receiving final outturn data for the full financial year. The Information Centre for health and social care will publish information on income from dental patient charges in due course. Primary care trusts will be monitoring patient charge revenue at a local level in the context of managing their overall net financial commitments.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 440-41W, on dentistry, under what circumstances NHS walk-in centres provide dental treatment.

Rosie Winterton: National health service walk-in centres are expected to provide a specified range of services for minor illness and injury. Primary care trusts are free to decide that their local walk-in centre should provide additional services. However, the Department is not aware of any walk-in centres that provide dental treatment.

Dentistry

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that access to NHS dental health care is available in those practices where contracted units of dental activity have been reached.

Rosie Winterton: The annual service levels reflected in contracts for providing national health service primary dental care services are based on the numbers of courses of treatment undertaken during the 12-month reference period, October 2004 to September 2005, but with the opportunity to carry out less complex courses of treatment than under the previous fee-per-item system of remuneration. The new contracts are thereby designed to support dentists in planning their patterns of work over the course of the year, while at the same time spending more time with patients and having more time for preventative work.
	If a dental practice delivers these annual service levels over a significantly shorter period, it is for the local primary care trust to review the reasons for this with the practice concerned and agree appropriate action.

Dentistry

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in  (a) Gloucestershire and  (b) Forest of Dean constituency have (i) reached and (ii) exceeded their contracted units of dental activity since the implementation of the new dental contract.

Rosie Winterton: The Department publishes regular information on the number of commissioned units of dental activity. The Information Centre for health and social care publishes information each quarter on the number of units of dental activity delivered and processed by the Business Services Authority during the year to date. The latest published information which covers the period from April 2006 to September 2006 is made available at England, strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCT) level. Information is not available by individual dental practice.
	The latest published information shows that the former West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust had not reached or exceeded its commissioned annual number of units of dental activity by 30 September.
	 Sources:
	Commissioned units of dental activity: Department of Health form DCO1 September return.
	Delivered and processed units of dental activity. The Information Centre for health and social care.
	NHS Business Services Authority

Dentures and Hearing Aids

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) dentures and  (b) hearing aids were lost within NHS hospitals in England in the latest year for which figures are available; and what procedures are in place to assist patients who have been affected by such losses.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally.
	Every national health service trust in England provides a patient advice and liaison service (PALS), who will be able to assist patients who have been affected by losing their hearing aid or dentures.

Departmental Communications

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) marketing officers,  (b) communication officers,  (c) press officers and  (d) promotional officers are employed in her Department; and what estimate she has made of expenditure on communications for the Department in 2006-07 on (i) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (ii) other  (A) press officers,  (B) special advisers and  (C) staff.

Ivan Lewis: In October 2006 there were 51 marketing staff and press officers employed by the communications directorate. A total of 70 staff were employed in other functions within the directorate. The total external expenditure by the directorate for 2005-06 was 54.6 million excluding any staff-related costs.

Departmental Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of staff employed in her Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

Ivan Lewis: Data on the disabled status of civil servants, for the years requested, are available in the Library and on the Civil Service website.
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/table_p.xls
	For data as at April 2005:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/disability_apr04_4nov04.xls
	For data as at April 2004:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/archive/index.asp
	For previous reporting periods declaration of a disability is voluntary.

Diamorphine

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the availability of diamorphine for medical purposes in the UK since 27 March 2006.

Andy Burnham: The Department is continuing to maintain regular contact with both suppliers of diamorphine to the national health service and has had discussions with potential new entrants to the market. The supply situation is being monitored closely and is expected to improve during 2007.

Drug Analysis

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 442W, on drug analysis, 
	(1)  whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has performed an August update for its adverse drug reaction data; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) intends to begin the three-monthly cycles of updates for its adverse drug reaction data published on its website;
	(3)  when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) upgrade of the drug safety monitoring database and data reporting systems will be completed.

Andy Burnham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently implementing a major upgrade of the drug safety monitoring database and data reporting systems as part of the Sentinel programme. The full implementation of the Sentinel programme will transform all the MHRA regulatory responsibilities from paper-based systems to electronic working, both internally within the MHRA and externally with its stakeholders.
	The first phase of the new drug safety monitoring module of the Sentinel programme was introduced in May 2006, ahead of the introduction of full electronic reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by marketing authorisation holders in accordance with agreed international standards. Initial technical and data issues are being resolved within a planned programme and in liaison with the pharmaceutical industry.
	The MHRA continues to provide anonymised aggregated adverse drug reaction data on request in response to specific enquiries from health professionals, the public and pharmaceutical companies. Publication of drug analysis prints on the MHRA website will be resumed as soon as current technical and data issues have been resolved.

East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on funding redundancy payments by the East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust and its predecessors in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected centrally.

Emergency Treatment

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were admitted to hospital with cardiac arrest in each of the last five years; and how many of those people  (a) survived and suffered brain damage and  (b) survived and were discharged from hospital.

Rosie Winterton: Data on patients surviving cardiac arrest with brain damage or on survival from cardiac arrest are not collected centrally. Treatment of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) is audited and it is possible to link these data to data on mortality after 30 days. However, audit of cardiac arrest treatment is in its early stages and trend data are not yet available. In the last five years the numbers in England treated in hospital with a definite diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 23,670 
			 2003 22,661 
			 2004 21,791 
			 2005 20,564 
		
	
	The 30-day mortality rates for those treated for this same period were:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2002 6.3 
			 2003 5.6 
			 2004 5.5 
			 2005 4.9

Emergency Treatment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the audited times were for  (a) call to needle and  (b) call to door times for thrombolysis in case of acute myocardial infarction in the constituencies of (i) Hemel Hempstead, (ii) Watford, (iii) St. Albans and (iv) South West Hertfordshire in each month since 12 December 2005.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is available quarterly in a format which allows measurement of the percentage of cases delivered to hospital within 30 minutes (call to door percentage) and also the percentage of people treated within 60 minutes of calling for help (call to needle percentage). The following table shows the latest data available for the former Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic Health Authority area.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Period covered  Call to door  Call to needle 
			 January to March 2006 18 55 
			 April to June 2006 14 51 
			 July to September 2006 17 55 
			  Source:  Myocardial Infarction national audit project (MINAP). 
		
	
	Officials have advised that information relating to individual hospitals' performance for call to door and call to needle is available from local trusts.

Emergency Treatment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the East of England Ambulance Trust has to assist clinicians at Watford general hospital to meet the three-hour targets for thrombolysis of non-haemorrhagic strokes.

Rosie Winterton: It is expected that local services should agree local protocols for dealing with issues of capacity. Development of trust procedures should involve discussions with local national health service providers to ensure targets are met.

Emergency Treatment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on deaths from stroke and acute myocardial infarction of ambulance response times in excess of 10 minutes; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: There are no data collected nationally on deaths from suspected stroke or myocardial infarction as a result of ambulance response times in excess of 10 minutes.
	999 ambulance calls are prioritised based on information obtained from the caller. The national response time requirement for calls classified as category A (immediately life-threatening) is that 75 per cent. of patients should receive an emergency response within eight minutes. In 2005-06 over 1.2 million category A calls received a response within the eight-minute standard. For strokes the emphasis on a rapid response, where there are no life-threatening signs and symptoms, is to facilitate immediate scanning and thrombolysis for suitable patients.

Foundation Hospitals

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which foundation hospital trust boards of directors meet in  (a) public and  (b) private; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Information about operational management in national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs) is not held centrally, and can be obtained by contacting the chairmen of the respective trusts.
	While provisions in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 states that the constitution for each NHSFT is to provide for the meetings of the board of governors to be open to members of the public, there is no specific requirement for meetings of the board of directors to be open to the public. This is a matter for each individual trust to decide.

Foundation Hospitals

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals lost their foundation status in 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: NHS foundation trusts (NHSFTs) cannot lose their status, unless they become insolvent. Work is under way to make and publish secondary legislation on an insolvency regime for NHSFTs in 2007. The failure regime for NHSFTs will allow for the protection of assets required for the continuation of essential NHS services.

Healthcare Professionals

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent to which availability of funds is affecting the promotion prospects of health care professionals; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: National health service funding has increased from around 33 billion in 1996-97 to around 84 billion in 2006-07, which is the highest ever level of sustained funding growth for the NHS. These resources have resulted in substantial improvements in patient care, and in a substantial increase in the opportunities available to health care professionals across the NHS as a whole. Since 1997 the NHS is employing around 300,000 more staff including over 32,000 more doctors and over 85,000 more nurses.

Independent Sector Treatment Centres

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to strategic health authorities on the consultation that is required with patients and residents before an independent sector treatment centre is established.

Ivan Lewis: Formal guidance was issued to strategic health authority chief executives on 10 November 2005. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library.

Information Prescription

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 352W, on the information prescription, in which geographical areas she expects trials to take place.

Rosie Winterton: Discussions are still under way to determine the locations and a decision is expected by late December. The locations will be placed in the Library when they are known.

Long-term Conditions

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to primary care trusts with regards to implementing  (a) the recommendations of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on epilepsies and  (b) the quality requirements of the national service framework for long-term conditions; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have not issued any guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) for implementing guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on epilepsy.
	PCTs are expected to work towards implementing the national service framework for long-term conditions over a 10-year period.

Long-term Conditions

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the contribution of specialist nurses to providing treatment and care to patients with  (a) long-term conditions and  (b) epilepsy; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether primary care trusts have a duty to record and monitor the number of patients in their area with epilepsy.

Ivan Lewis: Specialist nurses provide a valuable additional resource in the treatment and management of many long-term conditions, including epilepsy.
	Primary care trusts have no duty to record and monitor the number of patients with epilepsy.

Long-term Conditions

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any primary care trusts have been referred to the Healthcare Commission for a failure to implement  (a) the recommendations of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the epilepsies and  (b) the quality requirements of the national service framework for long-term conditions.

Andy Burnham: Health care organisations are not referred to the Healthcare Commission for non- compliance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance or the quality requirements of national service frameworks.
	All organisations providing national health service care are expected to be compliant with the 24 core standards set out by the Department in Standards for Better Health published in July 2004. Core standard 5a states that
	they conform to NICE technology appraisals and, where it is available, take into account nationally agreed guidance when planning and delivering treatment and care.
	In addition, organisations are expected to make progress against the 13 developmental standards in Standards for Better Health. Developmental standard 2a states that organisations should
	conform to nationally agreed best practice, particularly as defined in national service frameworks, NICE guidance, national plans and agreed national guidance on service delivery.
	The Healthcare Commission assesses NHS trusts, including primary care trusts (PCT), against the core standards as part of its annual health check assessment process. Results from the first annual health check assessment, in 2005-06, are available at:
	http://annualhealthcheckratings.healthcarecommission.org.uk/annualhealthcheckratings.cfm
	There is a statutory direction requiring the NHS to provide funding within three months from the date of publication of NICE technology appraisal guidance. PCTs were last reminded of these obligations in a statement on the implementation of NICE guidance which the Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner) made in June 2004.

Lung Cancer

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support the Government are providing for research into lung cancer screening.

Rosie Winterton: The main agency through which the Government support biomedical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation. The MRC is currently funding only a limited amount of research relating to lung cancer screening, largely due to a lack of high-quality proposals in this area.
	A working group of the National Cancer Research Institute(1) has recently published a report on lung cancer research(2). The report can be found at www.ncri.org.uk. Among other things, the report discusses the feasibility of funding research on screening for lung cancer. The institute's follow-up work on the report will identify what further information is needed to help determine whether a screening trial should be conducted.
	Building on its recent international symposium on biomarkers, the MRC has made 10 million available to support proposals for world-class, innovative projects to evaluate potential biomarkers in diagnosis of disease (including cancer), disease heterogeneity and underlying mechanisms or response to interventions. A recent call for proposals aims to stimulate translational research proposals that bridge the gap between discovery and application of new biomarkers, with an emphasis on partnerships with industry. The MRC will announce the successful proposals in March 2007.
	(1) The institute was established in April 2001. It is a partnership between government, the voluntary sector and the private sector. Its primary purpose is to maximise the patient benefit that accrues from cancer research in the UK through coordination of effort and joint planning.
	(2) Lung Cancer Research in the UK 2006, Report of the NCRI Strategic Planning Group on Lung Cancer, October 2006.

Lung Cancer

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to increase public awareness of the early symptoms of  (a) lung and  (b) other cancers.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is working in collaboration with charities and others with an interest in raising public awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer to promote key messages about when to seek help throughout Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November, and will be reviewing the impact of the various events early in 2007.
	For other cancers, the Department has collaborated with the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action to fund a pilot public awareness programme on the prostate and its function, which took place in October and is now being independently evaluated. The Department also funds a small number of voluntary sector organisations to test out approaches to raising awareness in hard-to- reach groups. Pilot work has been undertaken in 2005-06 to raise awareness of mouth cancer, in a project with Cancer Research UK. Further pilot work is also planned with the Improvement Foundation's healthy communities collaborative, raising awareness of breast, bowel and lung cancers in deprived communities.

Maternity Care

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the national perinatal epidemiology unit investigation into maternity care; whether the terms of reference for the investigation have been set out; who has been appointed to undertake the investigation; and whether it will be taking submissions from the general public and interested hon. Members.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has commissioned the national perinatal epidemiology unit to undertake a three-year research study to evaluate maternity units in England. This project started on 1 September 2006 and will run until 31 August 2009. It will address the seven topic areas stated in the commissioning brief, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The lead researcher is Professor Peter Brocklehurst at the University of Oxford. The research design incorporates appropriate processes for engaging and involving stakeholders. It will not take unsolicited submissions.

Maternity Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which maternity units she has identified as being at risk of closure.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally.
	It is for the local national health service, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to plan, develop and improve services for local people. Local solutions will meet the needs of local patients and communities. It is about providing the best and safest care for patients in the right setting and the right location. However, change will only happen after full public consultation with local people.

Memory Clinics

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many memory clinics there are in England; and what assessment she has made of these services since the issuing of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Ivan Lewis: Durham university's older people's mental health service mapping undertaken between November 2005 and June 2006 shows that there are 131 memory assessment services in England.
	No assessment has been made of memory clinic services since the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published its guidance on drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children are being treated on adult acute mental wards.

Ivan Lewis: The Department collects information on bed days spent by children and young people on adult wards rather than the number of such patients. The latest information covers the three-month period from 1 July to 30 September 2006 and is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Hospital-occupied bed days on adult psychiatric wards of patients aged under 16, on admission, under the care of a psychiatric specialist 25 
			 Hospital-occupied bed days on adult psychiatric wards of patients aged 16 or 17, on admission, under the care of a psychiatric specialist 4,780 
			  Source: Local delivery plan return data, Department of Health, 2006

Mental Health

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued on the use of the memory mental state examination by health professionals when prescribing drug treatments to people with Alzheimer's disease.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has not issued guidance on the use of the memory mental state examination by health professionals when prescribing drug treatments to people with Alzheimer's disease.

Mesothelioma

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of cancer research facilities are conducting research into mesothelioma; and what percentage of funding for research into cancer was spent on research into mesothelioma in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not available.
	The report of the National Cancer Research Institute's (NCRI) strategic planning group on Lung cancer research in the UK 2006, published in October, includes an analysis of NCRI partners' funding of research that includes research on mesothelioma. The report is available at www.ncri.org.uk/includes/Publications/reports/LCReport.pdf.

Ministerial Visits

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospitals  (a) she and  (b) each of her Ministers have visited since 6 May 2005.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health (Ms Hewitt) and each of her Ministers have visited the following national health service hospitals since 6 May 2005.
	
		
			   Secretary of State/Minister  Hospital 
			  2005   
			 12 May Secretary of State for Health Glenfield Hospital 
			 25 May Jane Kennedy St Thomas Hospital 
			 26 May Secretary of State for Health Hinchingbrooke Hospital 
			 31 May Secretary of State for Health Ipswich Hospital 
			 31 May Secretary of State for Health Kelling Hospital 
			 31 May Secretary of State for Health Queen Elizabeth Hospital 
			 7 June Secretary of State for Health Scarborough District General Hospital 
			 21 June Secretary of State for Health Pinderfield's Hospital 
			 21 June Secretary of State for Health Dewsbury and District Hospital 
			 21 June Secretary of State for Health Pontefract General Infirmary 
			 27 June Secretary of State for Health St Bartholomew's Hospital 
			 28 June Secretary of State for Health Withington Community Hospital 
			 29 June Rosie Winterton Nottingham City Hospital 
			 30 June Jane Kennedy The Royal London Hospital 
			 4 July Liam Byrne Whittington Hospital 
			 5 July Secretary of State for Health Homerton Hospital 
			 7 July Jane Kennedy Royal Liverpool Hospital 
			 15 July Rosie Winterton Castle Hill Hospital 
			 19 July Jane Kennedy Hinckley and Bosworth Community Hospital 
			 20 July Jane Kennedy Hammersmith Hospital 
			 22 July Rosie Winterton Mexborough Montague Hospital 
			 27 July Rosie Winterton St. Mary's Hospital 
			 31 August Lord Warner Stepping Hill Hospital 
			 8 September Rosie Winterton York Hospital 
			 11 October Rosie Winterton St. Thomas' Hospital 
			 18 October Secretary of State for Health Highgate Mental Health Centre 
			 18 October Secretary of State for Health The Royal Free Hospital 
			 24 October Liam Byrne Whiston Hospital 
			 24 October Liam Byrne Northern General Hospital 
			 28 October Liam Byrne The Royal Bolton Hospital 
			 31 October Liam Byrne Nottingham City Hospital 
			 3 November Lord Warner Hillingdon Hospital 
			 7 November Liam Byrne Leeds General Infirmary 
			 9 November Rosie Winterton St Bartholomew's Hospital 
			 14 November Liam Byrne Alder Hey Children's Hospital 
			 14 November Liam Byrne Liverpool Women's Hospital 
			 15 November Secretary of State for Health Newham General Hospital 
			 21 November Liam Byrne Christie Hospital 
			 24 November Jane Kennedy Chelsea and Westminster Hospital 
			 28 November Liam Byrne Great Ormond Street Hospital 
			 28 November Liam Byrne Sheffield Teaching Hospital 
			 12 December Liam Byrne Royal Victoria Infirmary 
			 13 December Rosie Winterton Broadmoor Hospital 
			 24 December Jane Kennedy The Royal Liverpool University Hospital 
			 25 December Liam Byrne Birmingham Heartlands Hospital 
			 26 December Rosie Winterton James Paget Hospital 
			 30 December Lord Warner King's College Hospital 
			  2006   
			 12 January Rosie Winterton Christie Hospital 
			 13 January Rosie Winterton Tickhill Road Hospital 
			 25 January Lord Warner Moorfields Eye Hospital 
			 30 January Lord Warner Beckenham Hospital 
			 2 February Jane Kennedy Queen Elizabeth Hospital 
			 20 February Rosie Winterton James Paget Hospital 
			 2 March Rosie Winterton South Essex Partnership NHS Trust 
			 2 March Rosie Winterton Basildon Hospital 
			 21 March Secretary of State for Health Evelina Children's Hospital 
			 28 March Secretary of State for Health The Princess Alexandra Hospital 
			 30 March Rosie Winterton Hollins Park Hospital 
			 4 April Secretary of State for Health Broadgreen Hospital 
			 4 April Secretary of State for Health Liverpool Royal Infirmary 
			 4 April Secretary of State for Health Bucknall Hospital 
			 8 May Lord Warner Barnet  Chase Farm Hospital 
			 11 May Caroline Flint Crawley Hospital 
			 11 May Rosie Winterton University College Hospital 
			 1 June Secretary of State for Health Lewisham Hospital 
			 1 June Andy Burham Princess Royal Hospital 
			 1 June Andy Burham Royal Berkshire Hospital 
			 1 June Andy Burham Salisbury Hospital 
			 1 June Andy Burham Yeovil District Hospital 
			 2 June Secretary of State for Health Whittington Hospital 
			 14 June Caroline Flint Medway Hospital Trust 
			 16 June Secretary of State for Health Selly Oak Hospital 
			 20 June Lord Warner St Bartholomew's Hospital 
			 26 June Secretary of State for Health Norwich Community Hospital 
			 26 June Secretary of State for Health Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital 
			 26 June Secretary of State for Health Cambridge Mental Health Trust 
			 27 June Secretary of State for Health Prospect Park Hospital 
			 28 June Andy Burnham Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich 
			 3 July Andy Burnham Tameside General Hospital 
			 4 July Lord Warner Edgware Community Hospital 
			 11 July Andy Burnham Luton and Dunstable Hospital 
			 14 July Secretary of State for Health Mill View Hospital 
			 14 July Secretary of State for Health Royal Sussex University Hospital 
			 21 July Andy Burnham Merrick House Mental Health Trust 
			 24 July Andy Burnham Barnet and Chase Farm Hospital 
			 25 July Secretary of State for Health Cirencester Hospital 
			 25 July Secretary of State for Health Royal Bath University Hospital 
			 26 July Lord Warner St Georges Hospital Stafford 
			 26 July Andy Burnham Taunton and Somerset Hospital 
			 27 July Andy Burnham Peterborough District Hospital 
			 18 August Andy Burnham Salford Royal Foundation Trust 
			 7 September Secretary of State for Health James Cook University Hospital 
			 11 September Lord Warner Nottingham City Hospital 
			 11 September Secretary of State for Health Kings Mill Hospital 
			 12 September Andy Burnham Newark Hospital 
			 12 September Rosie Winterton Derby City Hospital 
			 12 September Lord Warner Sherwood Forest NHS Trust 
			 12 September Lord Warner Mansfield Community Hospital 
			 12 September Secretary of State for Health Nottingham University Hospital 
			 21 September Ivan Lewis Southmead Hospital 
			 4 October Secretary of State for Health Bedford Hospital 
			 10 October Rosie Winterton Oxleas NHS FT Hospital 
			 12 October Rosie Winterton St Thomas7 Hospital 
			 16 October Lord Warner Edgware Community Hospital 
			 18 October Rosie Winterton Oldchurch Hospital 
			 18 October Secretary of State for Health Harrogate NHS FT Hospital 
			 20 October Lord Warner Barnsley NHS FT Hospital 
			 30 October Andy Burnham Luton and Dunstable Hospital 
			 6 November Caroline Flint Walsall Hospital NHS Trust 
			 13 November Rosie Winterton North Tyneside General Hospital 
			 14 November Rosie Winterton Wythenshaw Hospital 
			 14 November Secretary of State for Health Royal Cornwall Hospital 
			 27 November Ivan Lewis Birmingham Heartlands Hospital

Near-cash Revenue Resource Limit

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons her Department overspent on its near-cash revenue resource limit in 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: The national health service net deficit was the main reason for additional near cash expenditure in 2005-06.

NHS Cancer Plan

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to  (a) update,  (b) extend and  (c) replace the NHS cancer plan; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced plans for a new cancer reform strategy on Thursday 30 November.
	The new cancer reform strategy will build on the progress of the national health service cancer plan published in 2000 by spreading best practice and recommending what more needs to be done by cancer networks and the NHS to improve clinical outcomes, drive up quality and increase value for money.
	The new strategy will recognise the new challenges and opportunities facing cancer; the number of new cases is rising, as are patients' expectations. New medical technologies and more effective drugs are being developed. It will focus on reform rather than spending commitmentsgiving patients more choice, strengthening commissioning and making the new NHS levers work for cancer.
	The National Director for Cancer, Professor Mike Richards has been tasked with taking forward the strategy. He will work with doctors, nurses, cancer charities and all those with an interest in cancer to develop a strategy that fits the needs of tomorrow's cancer services.

NHS Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to table 2 on page Ev 3 of her Department's memorandum to the Health Committee inquiry, Public Expenditure on Health and Personal Social Services 2006, HC 1692-i, what discussions she has had with  (a) NHS Finance and  (b) the Welsh Assembly Government on how the figures on net NHS spend per head in Wales were calculated; and whether the figures for net NHS spend per head in Wales and net NHS spend per head in England are directly comparable.

Andy Burnham: National health service expenditure data and population estimates for Wales have been provided directly by the Welsh Assembly Government.
	The expenditure figure for Wales excludes spend on departmental administration, and so for consistency, the NHS expenditure for England was adjusted to exclude expenditure on departmental administration.
	The expenditure per head calculation is discussed and confirmed with officials from the Welsh Assembly Government.

NHS Reform

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis was for the statement by the Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner) of 7 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1290, on the NHS, that since 1997 there are  (a) 404,000 extra staff,  (b) 122,000 more doctors,  (c) 61,000 more allied health professionals and  (d) over 16,000 more radiographers and physiotherapists in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1654, by my noble Friend, the Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner).

NHS Trust: Restructuring

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of restructuring the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust into the North Lancashire Primary Care Trust.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not available. Taken together, changes to strategic health authority and primary care trust boundaries will release 250 million savings annually from management and administration costs for re-investing in frontline services from 2008-09.

Palliative Care

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are carried out to ensure that exceptional allocation monies for specialist palliative care services are spent on those services; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Ministers set up a central budget of 50 million per annum for specialist palliative care for the three years beginning 2003-04. Cancer networks have provided annual returns on the use of this funding and reports have been made to Ministers and to the National Partnership Group for Palliative Care, which allocated the funding and monitored its use. The central budget ended in 2005-06 and a final report will be provided to Ministers and the National Partnership Group when analysis of the cancer network returns is complete.

Pandemic Influenza

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when an exercise was last conducted on the response to an outbreak of pandemic influenza; and what lessons were learnt from the exercise.

Rosie Winterton: The World Health Organization (WHO) considers the United Kingdom to be at the forefront of preparedness internationally and we are continuing to consider what other measures could be taken to further improve our preparedness for pandemic influenza. The Department and the national health service have already undertaken several exercises in preparation for a possible influenza pandemic. Contingency plans are regularly tested, reviewed and updated in the light of changing domestic and international circumstances.
	In June 2006, a Department of Health led national exercise, Exercise Shared Goal, was undertaken to test the UK's planned response to an influenza pandemic.
	The key lessons learned from Exercise Shared Goal include:
	A requirement for further clarification and definition of the dividing line between WHO pandemic alert level phases 4 and 5, and phases 5 and 6;
	recognition by the participating Departments and agencies of the need to update existing procedures for information management;
	to further develop the roles and communication channels of key agencies to optimise their joint working;
	international bodies such as United Nations or European Union as well as bilateral contacts with key international partners would have been a valuable addition to the exercise;
	testing of scientific information flows and access to expert advice was successful and highlighted a number of areas where greater co-ordination is required both within and between UK Departments and with the devolved Administrations in order to ensure consistency of presentation and interpretation of advice;
	further development required at the regional level:
	more clarity is required as to when strategic co-ordinating groups might be established locally;
	the need for flexibility in planned response in order to reflect the potential for variation in the pandemic virus, and
	further development required at the national level:
	the agreement of clear guidance on the language to be used in describing the type of risk faced by UK at various national and international alert levels, in particular the shift from avian influenza or H5N1 to pandemic (i.e. human) influenza;
	the provision of generic travel advice to UK citizens during WHO pandemic phase 5 to be revisited.
	This exercise will be followed up with another exercise in 2007, Exercise Winter Willow, which will exercise procedures following the declaration of WHO alert level 6.
	The regional and local exercises on pandemic influenza are ongoing. The last regional off-the-shelf exercise, Exercise Cold Play, took place in London on 15 November 2006. This exercise was led by the Health Protection Agency as part of the Department of Health funded exercise programme, and in conjunction with NHS London. These exercises will be followed up with further exercises in 2007 and this is the first part of a series of three exercises.

Parking Fees

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was collected by each NHS trust in parking fees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information has been placed in the Library.
	The figures provided represent the gross income received from parking fees paid by staff and visitors.
	The information is as provided by national health service organisations without amendment. Since 2004-05, it has been provided on a voluntary basis and may therefore be incomplete.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has a traffic light system in place for processing parliamentary questions, where questions are categorised using a colour code.

Ivan Lewis: We do not categorise parliamentary questions by using a colour code. We endeavour to answer all questions promptly.

Pharmaceutical Services

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received from pharmaceutical companies on withdrawal from existing pharmaceutical wholesaling arrangements in England;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with pharmaceutical  (a) companies and  (b) wholesalers on the future of the pharmaceutical distribution network.

Andy Burnham: The Department has received representations from Pfizer Ltd. and AstraZeneca, concerning their intentions to change their distribution arrangements.
	Ministers have had no official meetings with representatives of pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers to discuss the potential consequences of the proposed changes on the pharmaceutical distribution network. However, the Department has received a number of letters from wholesalers and their representatives on these matters.

Post-Natal Depression

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mothers were treated for post-natal depression in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not available.

Psychological Services

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will set waiting time targets for psychological services.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 13 December 2006
	Referrals from primary care to consultant-led mental health services, including psychological therapies, are included in the 18-week waiting time target from the time of referral to the start of treatment. Mental health referrals are usually made to the care of a multi-disciplinary team or community team, rather than to an individual consultant, so most mental health activity would not be covered by the 18-week target.

Public Involvement

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she plans to take to retain the expertise built up by existing forums when the present structure of patient and public involvement is changed.

Rosie Winterton: We intend that local involvement networks (LINks) will build on the valuable work of patient and public involvement (PPI) forums. We believe that the experience developed by those involved in forums, as well as the good working relationships that many have established with the health service, are important factors to the success of LINks.

Secondments

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which staff in her Department are seconded from organisations with charitable status which have  (a) costs and  (b) salaries met (i) in part and (ii) in whole (A) from public funds and (B) by the charity from which they are seconded.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's human resource information system does not show where a person has been seconded to or from.

Social Workers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adult social workers have been employed by local authorities in each of the last 10 years expressed as  (a) headcount and  (b) whole- time equivalents.

Ivan Lewis: The following table shows the number of social workers employed by local authorities in each of the last 10 years. It should be noted that job roles and titles have changed, and therefore some separate job categories have been combined (detailed in the note below).
	
		
			  Social care employment in local authorities, England, 1996-2005 
			   Children's social workers  Adults' social workers  Field social workers  
			   Number  Percentage change  Number  Percentage change  Number  Percentage change  FTE 
			 1996 17,374  20,407  37,781  33,926 
			 1997 18,701 7.6 20,053 -1.7 38,754 2.6 34,753 
			 1998 18,878 0.9 20,388 1.7 39,266 1.3 35,180 
			 1999 19,213 1.8 20,676 1.4 39,889 1.6 35,822 
			 2000 19,716 2.6 21,484 3.9 41,200 3.3 36,922 
			 2001 20,300 3.0 22,070 2.7 42,370 2.8 37,730 
			 2002 21,385 5.3 22,015 -0.2 43,400 2.4 38,705 
			 2003 22,825 6.7 22,335 1.5 45,160 4.1 40,535 
			 2004 22,870 0.2 23,100 3.4 45,970 1.8 41,256 
			 2005 24,340 6.4 22,870 -1.0 47,210 2.7 42,330 
			  Note: Separate job categories introduced have been combined above (field social workers, care managers, senior social workers and team leaders). These relate to the following lines in the DH's SSDS001: Children's: 2.30-2.33, 2.35 Adults': 2.40-2.43, 2.50-2.52, 2.54, 2.55, 2.60-2.63, 2.70-2.73, 2.80-2.83  Source: Department of Health staffing return SSDS001 (employment)

Speech Therapy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of five are on NHS speech and language therapy waiting lists.

Ivan Lewis: The information is not collected centrally.

Translation and Interpretation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of translation and interpretation services was in  (a) Peterborough Primary Care Trust and its predecessor body,  (b) Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and  (c) the East of England Strategic Health Authority and its predecessor body in the last period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts and other national health service organisations to ensure that the services they provide meet the needs of the populations that they serve including the provision of interpreting services if necessary.

Vulnerable People: Torbay

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether vulnerable people in Torbay receiving direct payments may choose to employ locally based companies to obtain the provision of services to which they are entitled rather than use Torbay Primary Care Trust's preferred companies; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Government's aim in promoting direct payments is to increase individuals' independence and choice by giving them control over the way the services they are assessed as needing are delivered. The person uses the payment to secure for him or herself the relevant services.
	If there is a local register of approved providers of services, the council could bring the register to the attention of the individual. However, councils should not require the individual only to contract with providers from the register.
	As a general principle, local councils should aim to leave choice in the hands of the individual by allowing people to address their own needs as they consider best. Councils will want to satisfy themselves that the agreed outcomes are being achieved.

Westmoreland General Hospital

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints about the consultation on the closure of Westmoreland General Hospital were handled by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Contact Orders

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many orders for supervised contact were made by the courts in the last year for which figures are available; and how many orders named venues run by charitable or voluntary organisations as the point at which contact should take place.

Harriet Harman: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid

John Baron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Court of Appeal case Goodwill  v. British Pregnancy Advisory Service (1996) 7 Med LR 129 was legally aided.

Vera Baird: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because the Legal Aid Board's (LAB) Corporate Information System (CIS) which can confirm whether or not a case was legally aided was introduced in 1997 and this case pre-dates the CIS.

Miscarriages of Justice

Colin Challen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what record has been kept of miscarriages of justice in criminal proceedings ascribed to the absence of qualified interpreters.

Harriet Harman: The Department for Constitutional Affairs does not keep a record of miscarriages of justice in criminal proceedings ascribed to the absence of qualified interpreters.

Public Finance Contracts

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the total liability to her Department would be in circumstances of immediate termination of all  (a) public-private partnerships and  (b) public finance initiative contracts.

Harriet Harman: The detailed information on the total liability to the Department for Constitutional Affairs in the circumstances of immediate termination of
	 (a) public-private partnerships cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
	 (b) The total liability on immediate termination of any PFI contracts would be highly speculative as such liabilities would depend on the exact circumstances of termination on a case-by-case basis.

Public Finance Contracts

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what  (a) public-private partnerships and  (b) private finance initiative contracts have been entered into by her Department; what assets were transferred to the private sector as part of each deal; what the value of these assets was; what the total cost is of each contract; and what estimate was made of the cost to her Department of traditional procurement over the life of each contract.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 23 November 2006,  Official Report, column 766W. The projected PFI commitments in terms of the sum of unitary charge payments are conditional on the performance of the private sector contractors. Unitary charge payments are more than capital repayment sums and will include provision of services and inflation.
	The Private Developer schemes which are within public-private partnership contracts that have been entered into are:
	Huntingdon Justice Centre
	Manchester Civil Justice Centre
	Shoreditch and Clerkenwell County Courts
	Loughborough Magistrates Court
	Cambridge County Court.
	There has been no transfer of assets in any of the contracts as part of a deal. Detailed information requested on the estimate of the cost to my Department of traditional procurement over the life of each contract cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Retirement Age

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Blackpool South (Mr. Marsden) of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, 
	(1)  on the retirement age, what her Department's policy is for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the senior civil service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992;
	(2)  on the retirement age, what her Department's policy is on the application of the national default retirement age to staff below the senior civil service.

Bridget Prentice: The Normal Retirement Age (NRA) for staff below senior civil service is age 65, which is in line with the default retirement age set out in the Employment Equality (Age) regulations which came into force on 1 October 2006.